It was during last year's election campaign that Mr Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) proposed the event to mark the day in 1952 when the San Francisco Peace Treaty took effect, formally ending WWII and the allied occupation.

BBC: Japan marks 'return of sovereignty' day

The response of both the government and the companies to all such claims has been to point to the 1951 San Francisco peace treaty.

ECONOMIST: Paying for war slaves