Abe Tests War Message That Risks Asian Ire in Pivotal Year

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is promoting Japan as a postwar peace-builder as he tests the waters for a statement marking the 70th anniversary of its World War II defeat that risks irritating China and South Korea.

Japan has taken an “unwavering path” of peace since the war, Abe said in CairoBloomberg Terminal on Jan. 17 in his first overseas speech of a year set to be overshadowed by history. In India, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida talked of Japan’s plans to contribute to global security.