The premier's remarks were a line-by-line restatement of a landmark 1995 apology issued by then-Prime Minister TomiichiMurayama, marking the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.
In 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the war's end, then-Prime Minister TomiichiMurayama also expressed Tokyo's deep remorse and heartfelt apology for the damage and suffering it inflicted on its Asian neighbors.