Japanese ambassador apologizes for WWII atrocities
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-10-21 16:29 The Japanese ambassador to the
Philippines has apologized for the aggression and the atrocities committed by
Japanese army in the country during World War II, according to a radio report
Saturday from Tacloban City, Leyte Province.
"I would like to reiterate my heartfelt apology and deep sense of remorse and
reflection over the tragic fate of all those who fought to defend this country
against Japanese military aggression and the atrocities committed by (its
army)," Ambassador Ryuichiro Yamazaki was quoted by the report of Inquirer news
network as saying on Friday in a message, which he delivered during the
commemorative program of the Leyte Gulf Landings' 62nd anniversary in Palo, a
city near the south of Tacloban.
"Today on the occasion of this solemn ceremony, I reflect upon the lessons to
be learned from that terrible war," he said.
Yamazaki said the atrocities 62 years ago were acts that Japan would never do
again, the report said.
Yamazaki also cited the benefits resulting from trade relations between the
Philippines and Japan. He said the bilateral agreement signed by President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had further
boosted the relationship of the two countries.
Japan is the biggest donor and source of funds for big development projects
in the Philippines' central region of Eastern Visayas, according to the report.
In a battle from Oct. 23 to 26 in 1944, Japanese forces were defeated by the
Allied troops who made successive landings on Leyte island. The battle was
considered a major naval engagement during the Pacific War of World War II.
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