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 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may hope to lay the ghosts to rest with
a statement on Friday marking the 70th anniversary of the war's end,
but risks inflaming tension instead.
Abe is expected to express "deep remorse" in his comments.
But China and South Korea, where bitter memories of Japan's past
militarism run deep, want Abe to stick to a landmark 1995 "heartfelt
apology" by then-premier Tomiichi Murayama for suffering caused by
Japan's "colonial rule and aggression".
Abe himself wants to keep a thaw in Sino-Japanese ties on track
ahead of a possible visit to Beijing.
He also needs to satisfy ally the United States, which is keen to
see tension ease in a region where concern is rising over China's
military assertiveness.
Abe's conservative supporters, however, want to end what they see as
a humiliating cycle of apologies.
 "What Abe has to do for smooth sailing is to say something his
friends inside the Beltway can sell in Washington," said Andrew
Horvat, visiting professor at Josai International University in
Tokyo, referring to Washington insiders.
"The Murayama Statement is the 'gold standard' but we know that Abe,
in his heart of hearts, doesn't want to say what the Murayama
Statement said," Horvat added.
"Abe will attempt to satisfy as many parties under the circumstances
as possible."
Abe has said he upholds past official remarks on the war, including
the Murayama Statement and a 1993 apology to "comfort women", as
those forced into prostitution and sexually abused at Japan's
wartime military brothels are euphemistically known.
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But Abe, who critics view as a revisionist who wants to play down
Japan's wartime acts, has stressed he wants to issue a
forward-looking statement in his own words.
NHK public television said this week Abe would include the word
"apology". Other media said that touchy issue was still being worked
out.
Abe will mention "colonial rule" and "aggression", media said, but
the reference to the latter could be a general criticism that does
not single out Japan's invasion of China.
Whatever Abe says, disputes over history are unlikely to fade any
time soon, given dynamics in the region that sustain the feuds.
Governments in China and South Korea have often used anti-Japanese
sentiment to win support, while Japanese conservative politicians
periodically play to a base that includes atrocity deniers as well
as those suffering from "apology fatigue".
"History has not been laid to rest," Horvat said.
(Reporting by Linda Sieg; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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