Japan envoy apologizes for WW II damages in RP

MANILA, Philippines - Japan’s envoy to the Philippines has expressed his “heartfelt apologies and deep sense of remorse" over the damage the Japanese army caused in the Philippines during World War II, including the tragic Bataan Death March. Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura made the remark at the commemoration of the Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) Tuesday on Mt. Samat in Pilar town in Bataan province. “As I stand before this venerable shrine on Mount Samat, let me...reiterate my greatest tribute to all those who fought and fell, and my heartfelt apologies and deep sense of remorse over the damages caused by the Japanese military in the Philippines," Katsura said before President Arroyo, US Ambassador Kristie Anne Kenney, local government officials and war veterans. Katsura said that after the war, Japan “was reborn as a peace-loving nation" and that post-war Japan “has firmly resolved to contribute to the peace and prosperity of the world, without allowing the terrible lessons of the war to erode." He said that Japan is committed to support the Philippine government’s efforts in bringing peace and prosperity to the country, especially in Mindanao. Tokyo has deployed two Japanese development experts for Japan’s prospective development projects in the southern Philippines, despite ongoing clashes between government troops and Muslim rebels. Japan has donated 7,500 tons of rice through the World Food Program to thousands of civilians the Mindanao conflict has displaced. Also, he said he is confident that the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement or JPEPA, which took effect last December, “will bring the already strong ties between our two nations to a higher level." - GMANews.TV