Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s speech on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II was as expected: A forward-looking speech that referred vaguely to Japan’s role in 20th-century world history that could be construed as apologizing for its wartime wrongdoings or not, depending on the reader.

The statement was a clever display of words that hinted at an apology without actually offering one. In reference to those killed during World War II, Abe said, “I express my feelings of profound grief and my eternal, sincere condolences.” An expression of grief and condolences does not an apology make.

In fact, Abe did not make an apology of his own, referring instead to the previous governments’ stance: “Such position articulated by the previous cabinets will remain unshakable into the future.” Abe does not make explicit what “such position” may be. One can only guess it from an earlier paragraph which says, “Japan has repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology for its actions during the war.” The words “deep remorse” and “heartfelt apology” were appropriated from the Murayama Statement, made on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, that has been the standard for official Japanese apologies for the past 20 years.

Those not familiar with the Murayama Statement or the Kono Statement of 1993, which acknowledged Japanese military’s role in the establishment and operation of military brothels and the transfer of military sex slaves, euphemistically referred to as “comfort women,” will not have a clear understanding of what Abe purports to say. And this is just as well for Abe who appears to be squirming against having to repeat those previous apologies, much less offer one of his own. Even the reference to “such position” may have been a concession on the part of Abe, who knew that he would have to at least appear apologetic. But this is a thinly disguised rhetoric. What is clear in the vague wording is that there is no intention of apologizing.

In fact, Abe outright declares that there will be no more apologizing. Arguing that “Japan has repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology” and, noting that the postwar generation now accounts for over 80 percent of the population, Abe urges, “We must not let our children, grandchildren, and even further generations to come, who have nothing to do with that war, be predestined to apologize.”

Surely, Abe must know that the reason Japan is repeatedly asked to apologize is because it waffles on its apologies, casting doubts on their sincerity. Japanese politicians routinely make statements that deny the country’s wrongdoings and Japanese history textbooks are revised to whitewash its unsavory past. Abe, as a two-time prime minister of Japan, has repeatedly challenged the fact of Japanese military sexual slavery during World War II. One way to ensure that future generations of Japanese will not have to apologize would have been for Abe to offer an unequivocal apology, one that would allay the fears of those who are alarmed at his revisionist view of history once and for all, and accept responsibility. In failing to do so, Abe has let down his countrymen and generations of Japanese to follow.

Abe’s intentionally vague reference to the issue of the Japanese military sexual slaves, whom he characterizes as “women behind the battlefields whose honor and dignity were severely injured” is problematic for its ambiguity. Who are these women that Abe is talking about? Who are the perpetrators? Abe fails to explicitly state that women and young girls from Korea, China and other Asian countries were forced into a systematic sexual slavery run by the Japanese military for the Japanese soldiers.

Abe refers to the military sex slaves again in the later part of the statement -- “We will engrave in our hearts the past, when the dignity and honor of many women were severely injured during wars in the 20th century” -- again, without clearly stating who the victims are and who caused those injuries.

Perhaps Abe felt pressured to mention the issue of military sexual slavery, despite his position that the Japanese military did not force women into sexual slavery, and thus chose to vaguely allude to it without being specific. This is precisely why the sentence “Japan will lead the world in making the 21st century an era in which women’s human rights are not infringed upon” rings hollow, as does Abe statement overall. If Abe is sincere about such forward-looking commitment, he should start by acknowledging the role of the Japanese military in operating a system of sexual slavery and take responsible actions to redress the victims before the few remaining women all die.

Abe promises to pass down the lessons of history, saying, “We have the responsibility to inherit the past, in all humbleness, and pass it on to the future.” That is as should be, but it should be the past in its entirety -- not a whitewashed, glorified past -- that is passed on to the generations to come. Abe and Japanese leaders have the responsibility to accept the country’s history as it is and ensure that the current generation and the future generations know the country’s past in its entirety. Withholding from the postwar generations the knowledge of the brutal colonization of Korea and the atrocities committed during World War II robs Japan of a chance at becoming a truly “beautiful Japan.”

By Kim Hoo-ran

Kim Hoo-ran is an editorial writer at The Korea Herald. She can be reached at khooran@heraldcorp.com -- Ed.