Abe should not miss the chance to build bridges

In October 2001 Shinzo Abe, then deputy chief cabinet secretary, accompanied Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on a visit to the Lugou (Marco Polo) Bridge and the Memorial Hall of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Koizumi said the exhibits made him feel again the "horrors of war" and offered "heartfelt apology and condolences" to the Chinese victims of Japan's wartime aggression.

Now that he is Japan's prime minister, Abe has been offered the chance to revisit the bridge near Beijing where Japanese forces attacked Chinese troops in 1937, heralding the beginning of its invasion of China, as China has invited the leaders of relevant countries - Abe included - to the ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the war (1937-1945) on Sept 3.

However, Japan's daily Yomiuri Shimbun has reported that Abe will not accept Beijing's invitation. And he will not attend a celebration in Moscow on May 9, according to the Sankei Shimbun.