Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday downplayed apparent U.S. concern over an upcoming statement by the Abe administration to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, saying the Cabinet will maintain the historical views expressed by previous administrations.
Washington urged Tokyo on Monday to uphold past government apologies for Japan's wars and its colonial rule in the 1930s and '40s when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issues a new statement on the matter Aug. 15.
"The Abe Cabinet has kept saying it will uphold positions of the past Cabinets over history (issues), including the Murayama statement, as a whole," Suga told a news conference, referring to a key apology issued in 1995 by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama.
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