Murayama Statement

The Murayama Statement (村山談話, Murayama Danwa) was a political statement released by Prime Minister of Japan Tomiichi Murayama on August 15, 1995, officially titled "On the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the War's End" (戦後50周年の終戦記念日にあたっての村山内閣総理大臣談話, Sengo 50 Shūnen no Shūsen Kinenbi Niatatte no Murayama Naikaku-sōri-daijin Danwa). It synthesized the position of the Japanese government on historical recognition and reconciliation with Asia and other nations subjected to Japanese colonialism, primarily involving China, Korea, Singapore as well as the rest of Southeast Asia. The statement also recognized the judgements of war tribunals prescribed in Article 11 of the San Francisco Peace Treaty. In this way, the Murayama Statement played a significant role in both the reconciliation of war issues as well as the shift in both domestic and international perception of Japan.