Japan FM feels 'deep emotion' about Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 6:36 PM EST


Japan FM feels 'deep emotion' about Pearl Harbor



TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's foreign minister says he feels "deep emotion" about the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Koichiro Gemba said Wednesday that even though the U.S. and Japan fought in World War II, their alliance now is vital for the peace and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region.

Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 - Dec. 8 Japan time - brought the U.S. into the war.

The anniversary typically gets little attention in Japan as authorities don't want to highlight the country's past military aggression.

Japan does however commemorate the atomic bombings by the U.S. of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 that came just before Japan surrendered.

"Isoroku," a Japanese film about the life of Isoroku Yamamoto, who orchestrated the Pearl Harbor attack and was commander-in-chief in the early years of what many Japanese call the Pacific War, will start showing in Japan on Dec. 23.

The movie, subtitled "The truth about the Pacific War on the 70th anniversary" and starring Koji Yakusho in the title role, claims Yamamoto was opposed to war with the U.S. and attacked Pearl Harbor to end the Pacific War as quickly as possible

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