Japan’s Parties Mark World War II’s End with Statements on Their Intentions for Country’s Future

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:41 JST, August 15, 2025

Ruling and opposition parties issued statements about their intentions for the future to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The Liberal Democratic Party declared that the global order was in a “critical state with the potential to collapse.” It pointed to the situation in the Middle East and the United States’ increasingly strong “America First” stance as major contributing factors. “Japan must take the lead in upholding and strengthening the free and open international order, the foundation of peace and prosperity,” the LDP said.

Komeito called for multilateral dialogue to build trust and proactively prevent unforeseen contingencies, emphasizing the “increasingly severe security environment around Japan.”

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan said: “We take pride in the fact that our nation has not waged war in the 80 years since the end of World War II. We will never forget the tragedies and mistakes of the past and use them as lessons to face the world with integrity.”

The Japan Innovation Party aims to build up Japan’s “active defense capability” to create and maintain peace as well as a stable international order. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party for the People underscored its resolve to “do its utmost to [ensure Japan] remains a peaceful nation.”

Sanseito spoke of its commitment to “learning from both the light and shadow of history and preserve Japan that was protected at the cost of lives.”

Reiwa Shinsengumi stated that they would “take action to create a nation that will never wage war again,” and the Japanese Communist Party insisted that they would “stop the great military expansion” and “war state building,” which it views as unconstitutional.

The Conservative Party of Japan stated its intention to “focus on constructing peace and prosperity for the future without allowing history to become a political battleground.”

The Social Democratic Party announced its commitment to realizing a politics of “rice over missiles” and preventing any revision of the Constitution.

Team Mirai emphasized the importance of exploring a path of mutual understanding through dialogue without fueling social divisions.