Aide's Diary Says Japan's Emperor Hirohito Regretted Invading China

Japanese paper Asahi Shimbun has published excerpts from a diary of a former aide that indicates Japan's late emperor, Hirohito, expressed regret at having invaded China. The diary quotes Hirohito as saying that Japan underestimated China's military strength and that Japanese military specialists incorrectly predicted how the war would turn out. The comments are likely to raise new questions about Hirohito's responsibility for Japan's involvement in World War Two.

Last year, Japanese media reported that Hirohito, who was the current emperor's father, had stopped visiting Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine after a 1978 decision to honor convicted war criminals there.

Visits to the shrine by Japan's former prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, strained Japan's relations with China and South Korea.

日本报纸朝日新闻刊登已故昭和天皇前侍从的日记摘要，显示昭和天皇对入侵中国感到后悔。日记援引昭和天皇的话说，日本低估了中国的军事力量，日本军事专家错误地预测战争的结果。日记内容很可能会对昭和天皇对日本卷入二战所负的责任提出新的问题。

日本媒体去年报导说，当今日本天皇的父亲昭和天皇从1978年靖国神社决定开始供奉二战战犯后就再没有前去参拜。

日本前首相小泉纯一郎多次参拜靖国神社造成日本与中国和韩国关系紧张。