Ishiba Delivered Speech on WWII over Objections from LDP; Opposition Leader Lauds Insights

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:10 JST, October 12, 2025

For Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to deliver his message on Friday reflecting on World War II, he had to override objections from members of his own Liberal Democratic Party. A number of LDP lawmakers say that the message was merely Ishiba’s personal opinion.

LDP President Sanae Takaichi was informed by the prime minister at the Prime Minister’s Office around noon on Friday that he would be delivering the message that day.

After the meeting with Ishiba, Takaichi told reporters, “[I heard] he plans to announce something that hasn’t been adopted by the Cabinet,” stressing that what Ishiba would say did not represent the government’s official position.

Within the LDP, there was widespread skepticism about the need for the statement. The party’s conservative lawmakers in particular believe that historical issues were settled by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with his statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war. There was open opposition to Ishiba delivering the message just before stepping down as prime minister.

Responding to criticism, Ishiba said at a press conference on Friday, “This was not written lightly. I fully understood the responsibility of delivering it as prime minister.”

Ishiba spoke proudly of how the message had been revised about 20 times, and expressed his thoughts on history for 90 minutes. In his reflections, Ishiba referenced Abe, who was assassinated, as well as Takao Saito, who served in the House of Representatives and is known for having delivered an anti-military speech before the war.

Some in the opposition praised the statement, including Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People.

“It was well written,” Tamaki said. “He presented new insights into the domestic system and structure that led to the war.”