Abe Made the Perfect WWII Declaration. It Should Stand.

Today marks the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II — and a decade since the late Shinzo Abe’s defining statement on the country’s past mistakes and future hopes.

In August 2015, the world’s focus was on what Abe, then prime minister, would say. Following past leaders’ examples, including the groundbreaking apology by then-premier Tomiichi Murayama on the 50th anniversary and its reaffirmation by Junichiro Koizumi 10 years later, expectations ran high — as did tensions with China and South Korea. Beijing, Seoul and the international media fretted over whether he would repeat specific phrases dubbed vital to past apologies such as “invasion” or if he would attempt a mealy-mouthed workaround. Would Abe, then frequently mischaracterized as “revisionist” or “ultra-nationalist,” seek to undo past expressions of remorse?