Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to never again wage war on the anniversary of Japan's World War Two surrender, while members of his cabinet marked the date with visits to a controversial shrine, moves set to anger China and South Korea, Trend reports citing Reuters.
The anniversary commemoration's links to Yasukuni, a site that honours 14 Japanese wartime leaders convicted as war criminals by an Allied tribunal, as well as war dead, saw Kishida face a tricky balancing act on Monday.
On the dovish side of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), his task was to avoid irking international neighbours and partners while still keeping the more right-wing members of the party happy - particularly after the killing of former premier Shinzo Abe last month.