CRI听力:Japan's Abe Chairs First Meeting on WWII Statement

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has met with a panel of experts to discuss his forthcoming statement connected to the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

There has been speculation he may be preparing to water down previous Japanese government apologies for the country's wartime past.

Abe has appointed a 16-member panel to advise him on what he should say in his speech, which is scheduled to be delivered on August 15th.

Observers say many on the panel have right-wing outlooks similar to Abe's own.

Takakage Fujita heads an association which supports carrying forward with the Murayama Statement.

This is a statement issued in 1995 which, for the first time, acknowledged Japan's colonization and aggression in parts of Asia during the war.

"The core people are the right-leaning ones who support Abe. They are all pro-Abe specialists and will help Abe say out what is in his mind. In the speech scheduled to be delivered in summer, Abe would not be willing to use some key words including 'aggression' and 'colonial rule'. So, at that time, Abe will say it is the specialists' advice at the meeting that convinced him not to use these words and that is the reason why he will have done so. Abe is completely taking advantage of this meeting."

Abe has signaled his intention to revise the 1995 Murayama statement.

This has triggered criticism from both China and South Korea.

Abe has since said his Cabinet stands by the 1995 apology, but that he wants to issue a more forward-looking statement on the anniversary.