Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s speech on 14 August 2015 to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II the following day was eagerly anticipated. Given his past as a nationalist conservative, there were fears that Abe would seek to revise the general tone of the historic 1995 Murayama statement. In the end, it appeared that common sense prevailed. Abe mentioned Japan’s ‘aggression’, ‘repentance’, ‘deep remorse’ and ‘heartfelt apology for its actions during the war’. This speech demonstrated that Abe recognised — regardless of his personal views on history — that historical revisionism would not enjoy any international support.