President Park Geun-hye on Monday urged Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to reaffirm previous Japanese administrations’ recognition of history in his upcoming speech to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry also raised pressure on Abe to unequivocally uphold former Tokyo governments’ apologies for Japan’s wartime wrongdoings including the 1993 Kono Statement and 1995 Murayama Statement, to help address history issues with Korea and other neighboring states.

“On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties, we hope to create a virtuous cycle of the South Korea-Japan ties,” the ministry said in a press release.

“We also expect Japan itself to become a nation that commands the trust of other neighboring states and plays a responsible role in the international community.”

Reports from Japan have been varying on the degree of apology to be addressed in Abe’s much-anticipated speech. NHK, Japan’s national broadcasting organization, reported Monday that Abe plans to include such expressions as “apology” and “aggression” in the draft statement, upholding the position of previous governments on Japan’s conduct during the war.

The report contradicted earlier coverage by Japanese national newspaper Asahi Shimbun that said the draft of Abe’s statement does not include the word “apology” to Asian countries, which was included in two past landmark statements, according to the draft that he showed the executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and junior coalition partner Komeito.

Abe, currently discussing the draft, is set to release it for endorsement by the cabinet on Friday.

Abe’s speech is to be closely watched by South Korea, China and other neighboring and involved countries to see whether the ultra-right premier will acknowledge his predecessors’ statements on Japan’s wartime aggression.

Abe’s speech is expected to set the tone of bilateral ties with Korea as well, as the two countries have been cautiously moving to mend ties frayed by historical disputes.

“We hope that Japan will show a mature attitude to start anew its relations with neighboring countries” including South Korea, Park said.

Park also pressed Japan to address the issue of the elderly Korean women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japan’s World War II soldiers ― one of the knottiest issues.

“We may lose an opportunity forever to resolve the issue unless we address it now,” Park said, noting that time is running out as the number of victims still alive is dwindling.

In 2007, more than 120 South Korean victims were alive, but the number has dropped to 47, with their average age standing at nearly 90.

By Song Sang-ho and news reports (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)