News Headlines - 15 August 2015
▽Japan’s Emperor Expresses Remorse Over War, in Contrast to Abe - Bloomberg Business
Japan’s Emperor Akihito expressed “deep remorse” over his country’s actions in World War II, in a departure from his usual remarks, at a ceremony Saturday to mark 70 years since the end of the conflict... It was the first time since acceding to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 1989 that the emperor has expressed regret in such terms at the annual event, according to public broadcaster NHK. His words contrasted with those of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who said in a statement Friday that Japan shouldn’t be expected to continually apologize for a conflict that ended 70 years ago.
▽VJ Day: Queen to lead 70th anniversary commemorations - BBC News
The Queen is to lead events to mark the 70th anniversary of VJ Day, when Japan surrendered and World War Two ended... It ended one of the worst episodes in British military history, during which tens of thousands of servicemen were forced to endure the brutalities of prisoner of war camps, where disease was rife and there was a lack of food and water.
▽VJ Day: Surviving the horrors of Japan's WW2 camps - BBC News
Tens of thousands of British servicemen endured the brutalities of Japan's prisoner of war camps during World War Two. Theirs was a remarkable story of survival and courage, write Clare Makepeace and Meg Parkes.
▽North Korea Changes Timezone In Japan Snub
North Korea has established its own time zone by permanently putting its clocks back by 30 minutes.
The move reverses a change imposed by Japan - or "wicked Japanese imperialists" as state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has described them - in 1912.
It has been timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation from colonial rule at the end of World War II.
New explosions rocked a chemical warehouse in northern China as police ordered residents to evacuate buildings within a 3-kilometre radius, state media said on Saturday amid lingering concerns about a chemical contamination in the industrial zone.
