Shinzo abe replace landmark 1995 war apology

Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to replace a landmark 1995 apology for suffering caused in Asia during World War-2 with an unspecified “forward-looking statement”, a newspaper reported on Monday.

Abe said he would consult experts about the details and the timing of statement. He has also said he wants to loosen the constraints of Japan’s post-war pacifist constitution.

Abe hails from a wealthy political family that includes a grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, who was a wartime cabinet minister who was imprisoned but never tried as a war criminal after the war. He went on to become Prime Minister from 1957 to 1960.

During a first stint as Prime Minister, which began in September 2006 and lasted a year, Abe pushed through a parliamentary revision of an education law to “restore patriotism” in school curriculums.