PM Ishiba to Deliver Message to Mark 80 Years Since End of WWII

By Akihisa Ota / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

13:51 JST, September 25, 2025

NEW YORK — Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters in New York on Wednesday that he intends to deliver a message for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, rather than the formal prime minister’s statement.

Preparations are under way for the message to be released shortly before Ishiba steps down as prime minister, which will take place after the Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election on Oct. 4.

“I would like to express my own view on why [Japan] could not stop the war,” Ishiba said at a press conference, adding that the message would not take the form of the prime minister’s statement that requires Cabinet approval.

As for historical perceptions, the message will adhere to the statements by past prime ministers, such as the one by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, and will refrain from addressing new subjects.

Prior to the press conference, Ishiba gave a speech at the U.N. General Assembly in which he looked back on how Japan has progressed in the 80 years after the war.

“No country can forge the path to a bright future unless it squarely faces history,” he stressed. “Under the pledge never to wage a war again, Japan has been striving to realize everlasting world peace.”