`Young people do not know about WWII,` says Japanese emperor

Marking his 82nd birthday on Wednesday, Japanese Emperor Akihito (photo) warned fellow Japanese people not to forget about wars.

"Although more and more young generations do not know about past wars, it is important to have a good understanding and thoughts about these wars in light of Japan`s future," said Akihito during the press conference held in the Imperial Palace, Tokyo. He spent half of the conference expressing his thoughts on war and peace in the 70th anniversary of the formal end of World War II.

The Japanese emperor made a comment on civilian casualties during the Pacific War by saying, "It is truly heartbreaking to think about those who were having a peaceful life in different places and perished." Then he gave an example of civilian sailors who lost their lives. "Sailors who wanted to work on an outward-bounder were killed under the enemy`s attack while transporting soldiers and military supplies. I am truly sorry for them."

The Asahi newspaper reported that the emperor choked with emotion for seconds when he was mentioning the sacrifices of those sailors. The newspaper added that 60,000 civilian sailors died and 30 percent of them were teenage boys.

Akihito has maintained his position opposite to rightward Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. For instance, the emperor , for the first time in public, used the expression‍ "deep reflection" at a memorial ceremony for the war victims on Aug 15. He replied to recent public concerns about his health by saying, "I feel old often and made a mistake at the ceremony. I shall be more careful during ceremonies."

peacechaos@donga.com