Newsletter No. 305
News-Analysis
June 15, 2006

 

JAPANESE EMPEROR AND EMPRESS VISIT MALAYSIA

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have just completed an eight-day tour of Southeast Asia, including Malaysia. There were no dramatic events during the tour and the press didn’t have too much to say about it.

In Malaysia, as might be expected, the Imperial couple met with local dignitaries including Prime Minister Badawi. The main point of interest was that they visited Perak state for the first time. They had visited Malaysia before in 1991, but were forced to cancel their trip to Perak because of a thick haze caused by forest fires.

Malaysia, of course, was part of Japan’s colonial empire between 1942 and 1945, and the Emperor tried to emphasize the importance of remembering the mistakes of the past.

There is considerable evidence that Emperor Akihito is far more liberal in his political views than the current generation of LDP leaders. He underlined this with comments that he made before and during his trip to Southeast Asia:

"It's extremely regrettable that many lives, including those of the Japanese, were lost in the previous war. We should never forget the history, and continue our endeavor through mutual support with each nation so that we can make the world a place without conflicts… Education, however, is extremely important for national development and social stability. I hope experts will thoroughly discuss the future of Japanese education so that the Japanese youth learn to cherish the country and its people, and also turn their thoughts to the happiness of those in other parts of the world."

He also addressed the prewar period in the following terms: “Under the circumstances (at that time), it was extremely difficult for lawmakers and ordinary citizens to speak up freely… I hope many Japanese keep in mind that there was such time before the war, and determine the future path so the same mistake would never be repeated.”