Japan lower house adopts retrogressive resolution
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-08-03 09:09

Japan's House of Representatives on Tuesday adopted what it calls a "future-oriented" resolution, with a view of retroversion in treating history issues, to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The resolution, which pledged that Japan will make "further contributions to build international peace at the 60th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations, the war's end and the atomic bombings," was endorsed by lawmakers of all political parties except for the Japanese Communist Party.

It mourns for all war dead and expresses deep remorse for Japan 's past time doing that caused tremendous suffering to the people of Asian nations.

Compared with the resolution for 50th WWII anniversary, the new bill only put an emphasis of Japan's damages from US atomic bombing while excluding the primary content about Japan's colonial ruling and aggression against its neighboring countries.

The 50th WWII anniversary resolution, passed on June 9, 1995, states that during a certain period in the not too distant past, Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations. In the resolution, Japan expressed deep remorse for its wartime crimes.

According to Kyodo News, the opposition camp had taken issue with the draft resolution lacking references to Japan's colonial rule and acts of aggression as it did in 1995. After the ruling Liberal Democratic Party refused to add the content, most of the opposition parties voted for the resolution.

But Communist Party of Japan still opposed the resolution, saying its wording did not adequately reflect upon the country's past "war of aggression" and "colonial ruling."