[The rituals of apology and the rituals of pride continue on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Japan's surrender, but with new twists in the context of Japan's election. The Prime Minister's two speeches on August 15 addressed, in turn, Japan's neighbors, particularly China and South Korea, and the LDP's rightwing supporters in the Japanese electorate. As Richard Parry observed in The London Times, in a statement approved by the Cabinet, the Prime Minister repeated “an unambiguous expression of ‘deep remorse and heartfelt apology' for Japan's ‘colonisation and aggression' during the war.” But in a similarly worded speech on the same day at a ceremony at which Emperor Akihito also spoke, all reference to colonialism, aggression and apology were omitted. As discussed in the following article, the Prime Minister's speech began with this statement directed not only to Japan's neighbors but very much to a nationalist constituency at home: On the 60th anniversary of the end of the war, I reaffirm my determination that Japan must never again take the path to war, reflecting that the peace and prosperity we enjoy today are founded on the ultimate sacrifices of those who lost their lives for the war against their will.” The Prime Minister chose not to visit Yasukuni Shrine, the memorial to Japan's war dead and the national symbol of the bond between the emperor and the war, on the symbolically charged August 15 date. However, two other cabinet ministers and LDP Acting Secretary General Abe Shinzo, did visit. Abe is widely expected to succeed to the office when the Prime Minister retires next year.