Japan marks 76th anniversary of WWII defeat; no Suga apology

Japan has marked the 76th anniversary of its surrender in World War II, with a somber ceremony in which Prime Minister Yosihide Suga pledged for the tragedy of war to never be repeated but avoided apologizing for his country’s aggression

TOKYO -- Japan marked the 76th anniversary of its World War II surrender on Sunday with a somber ceremony in which Prime Minister Yosihide Suga pledged for the tragedy of war to never be repeated but avoided apologizing for his country's past aggression. Suga said Japan never forgets the peace that the country enjoys today is built on the sacrifices of those who died in the war. “We will commit to our pledge to never repeat the tragedy of the war,” he said in his first speech at the event since becoming prime minister. Suga did not offer an apology to the Asian victims of Japanese aggression across the region in the first half of the 20th century — a precedence set by his predecessor Shinzo Abe, who was frequently accused of trying to whitewash his country's brutal past.