Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi came under scrutiny on August 15 after omitting the word "reflection" from her first address at Japan's annual National Memorial Service for the War Dead, held on the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
In the roughly three-minute speech, Takaichi paid tribute to the more than 3 million Japanese who lost their lives during the war, including military personnel and civilians. She also vowed that Japan would "never allow the horrors of war to be repeated."
However, it was what Takaichi did not say that made headlines in the Japanese press. Major outlets highlighted the absence of the word "reflection" (反省), a term whose inclusion, or omission, has become a kind of statement about a prime minister’s stance on Japan’s wartime history.
"Reflection" first appeared in the annual memorial address under then-Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama in 1994. Successive prime ministers from different political parties continued to use the term for nearly two decades, including Shinzo Abe during his first stint as prime minister.
But when Abe returned to office and delivered the address again in 2013, he dropped the word, setting a new precedent that was followed by his LDP successors. That pattern continued until 2025, when then-Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba brought "reflection"back after a 13-year absence.
The change has now proved short-lived, and Takaichi's address marked a return to the more conservative framing seen under former prime ministers including Abe and Fumio Kishida, as noted by the Japan Times.
In a commentary published on August 17, Japan's largest newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun called for Takaichi to adopt a "humble attitude toward history." It contrasted Takaichi's approach with that of Emperor Naruhito, who has consistently used the phrase "deep remorse" in his speech at the memorial.
Wu Qicong, an assistant researcher at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, told CGTN that the disappearance of the word "reflection" was "by no means an accidental omission in wording," but reflected what he described as a resurgence of historical revisionism at the level of national commemoration. He argued that the shift should also be viewed alongside Japan's moves to ease restrictions on arms exports and expand its defense capabilities.
The concern over Takaichi's speech is part of a broader, long-running dispute over Japan's reckoning with its wartime past. On the same day, several members of her Cabinet visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. The shrine honors around 2.5 million of Japan's war dead, including 14 convicted Class-A war criminals. Visits by Japanese politicians have repeatedly drawn strong protests from China and the Republic of Korea.
Takaichi did not visit the shrine herself on Saturday, instead sending a ritual offering. No sitting Japanese prime minister has visited Yasukuni since Shinzo Abe did so in 2013.
The Cabinet members' visits, together with Takaichi's offering, prompted protests from China and the Republic of Korea. Demonstrations were also held in Tokyo, where Japanese protesters chanted,"No to shrines that glorify war."
