On August 28, 1945, Prime Minister Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko held a press conference after the surrender. He said that the military, the officials and the whole people must reflect and repent. “I believe that repentance by the entire nation is the first step in rebuilding our country and the first step toward national unity.”
The idea was later remembered as ichioku sÅzange, the repentance of the hundred million. Critics said it blurred the responsibility of the country’s leaders, the Emperor and the military.