Following are some key excerpts from Japanese leaders' previous statements on the country's militaristic past.
Tomiichi Murayama on the 50th anniversary, 1995
"During a certain period in the not too distant past, Japan, following a mistaken national policy, advanced along the road to war, only to ensnare the Japanese people in a fateful crisis, and, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations.
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