EDITORIAL: Spirit of Yasukuni Shrine
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Think about the dead who are not enshrined there.


On a recent afternoon, visitors were strolling around the grounds of
the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo's Kudan district amid the gentle hues
of early summer. Time passed slowly, and everyone seemed filled with
awe.

A note of farewell written by a 29-year-old army captain who was
killed near Hanoi in the closing days of World War II is on display
in front of the hall of worship. It says: ``I clearly saw the divine
country Japan and 100 million subjects in the emperor's country
marching head-on. I was instilled with a firm belief, to fight.''

Entering the Yushukan museum, which is a part of the shrine, is like
stepping back in time. The poster inviting visitors to enter the
hall says: ``See the truth of how Japan has revived itself. You will
feel some emotion, which you no doubt will want to pass on to people
of younger generations who have not experienced war.'' The museum
epitomizes the spirit of the Yasukuni Shrine.

Another notice intended to explain the museum's function says:
``There were many unavoidable battles for self-defense of this
country and for achieving a free and egalitarian world irrespective
of the color of people's skin. The people who sacrificed their
precious lives in those wars are enshrined as spirits of the dead
soldiers for honoring their distinguished military service and
virtues....''

On display are memorabilia from the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95,
the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 and what the Yasukuni Shrine calls
the Great East Asia War. Items exhibited include 100,000 military
uniforms, personal belongings of dead soldiers, their farewell notes
and other articles. Most people's attention is riveted to displays
of weapons such as aircraft used for kamikaze suicide attacks and
kaiten manned torpedoes. The themes of documentary films that are
shown unfailingly glorify Japan's military bravery. These displays
all emphasize the honor of martyrdom for the state.

The recorded voice of a soldier who maneuvered a kaiten torpedo is
also heard.

``Blood of my father, grandfather and great-grandfather cries, `Kill
the sworn enemy.' Blood cries.'' The voice of the 20-year-old
soldier, audible despite heavy static, sounds sad and painful.

Walking around the shrine, one is struck by a strange feeling. Here,
time seems not to move. It seems stuck in the past. One is struck
with the impression that the spirits of dead soldiers are still
fighting.

It takes at least two countries to fight a war. But the exhibits at
Yushukan and explanations accompanying them play up only hatred of
the enemy and a picture of the world seen only through the eyes of
Japanese. There is nothing to indicate what the rest of the world
thought of Japan at war from an objective perspective. The displays
single-mindedly eulogize the loftiness of the souls of the Japanese
people killed in battle.

Near the exit of the hall, there is a notebook for visitors to write
their impressions. An elderly man wrote, ``My son has grown up in a
Japan that has a hangover of peace and has become lazy as a result.
The country you have protected splendidly is about to melt away.'' A
19-year-old college student wrote, ``The only impression I had was
that these displays do nothing but glorify wars. I was terrified.''

There is also a picture of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi
worshipping at the shrine. Even though the prime minister says that
paying tribute at the shrine is a natural emotion, the impression
that visitors get seems to be that Koizumi completely approves of
the Yasukuni Shrine's view of history, as his picture is placed at
the end of the displays.

We suggest to our readers that they pay a visit to the Yasukuni
Shrine and give thought to the people enshrined there. They should
also think about the dead people who are not enshrined there-those
Japanese people who were killed in air raids and attacks by atomic
bombs and the people in other countries who fought against the
Imperial Japanese Army for the sake of protecting their loved ones,
their countries and their compatriots. And they should ponder for
some time on the meaning of Koizumi's worshipping at the shrine.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 4(IHT/Asahi: May 5,2004) (05/05)

http://www.asahi.com/english/opinion/TKY200405050084.html

that is a load of crap.  If people told the American president he
couldn't pray or lay a set of flowers at Arlington... even though
many believe there are war criminals, especially from Vietnam,
buried there we/I would tell them to rot in hell.

Sure Tojo is there.  He was arrested and paid the ultimate price for
his inhumanity.... he was hung if I recall correctly... So now he
lays in peace... or should if you people would get off his back.

If we live forever holding each other accountable for the deeds of
the past no country will ever be able to have peace with its
neighbors... we can all pick something that our neighbor does to
piss us off... I don't see those countrys being mad enough to refuse
aid from Japan or reperations... Let them put their money where
their mouths are.

Go find something worthwhile to bitch about... like kidnap victims
in Korea, starving people in one of the richest country in the
world.  Child abuse in Japan. The rain forest.  Terrorism.  Anti-
foreigner sentiments in Japan/Korea/China/US... etc etc etc...

Get my drift?

j.D.

PS I am an American, former combat Marine, living in Japan.  I teach
Junior High School in Japanese public schools.  I know the
attrocities of WWII... on both sides.  I am also a Japanese-
American, 4th generation, who had his family locked away in the
camps in the US during WWII... And had two grandfather's die in the
same war.  I have a degree in Asian/Asian-American studies.




--- In yasukunishrine@yahoogroups.com, "Kevin Burns" <kevin@t...>
wrote:
> Prime Minister Koizumi praying at Yasukuni Shrine is akin to the
Chancellor
> of Germany Praying at Hitlers grave.
> While former members of the public killed in Japan`s wars are
buried there,
> 14 Class A Japanese war criminals are too.
> Japan`s right wingers (some would say Fascists) also like to pray
there. In
> my opinion, it is a classless act for a Japanese
> Prime Minister to pray there, when some of the people he prays for
ordered
> the Rape of Nanking and other atrocities from
> World War 2. If Japan doesn`t care about relations with her Asian
members,
> then the point is mute.  But Japan does want
> to do business in China to name but one, and praying a Yasukuni
has chilled
> relations more than a few times over the years.
>
> Japan still has not come to complete terms with her wartime past,
and
> continues to hurt her relations with her Asian neighbours
> by inane comments made by racist politicians like Tokyo Governor
Ishihara,
> and by acts like Prime Minister Koizumi`s stubborn refusal
> to stop praying at Yasukuni Shrine.
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yasukunishrine/
>
> Kevin
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Prime Minister Koizumi praying at Yasukuni Shrine is akin to the Chancellor
of Germany Praying at Hitlers grave.
While former members of the public killed in Japan`s wars are buried there,
14 Class A Japanese war criminals are too.
Japan`s right wingers (some would say Fascists) also like to pray there. In
my opinion, it is a classless act for a Japanese
Prime Minister to pray there, when some of the people he prays for ordered
the Rape of Nanking and other atrocities from
World War 2. If Japan doesn`t care about relations with her Asian members,
then the point is mute.  But Japan does want
to do business in China to name but one, and praying a Yasukuni has chilled
relations more than a few times over the years.

Japan still has not come to complete terms with her wartime past, and
continues to hurt her relations with her Asian neighbours
by inane comments made by racist politicians like Tokyo Governor Ishihara,
and by acts like Prime Minister Koizumi`s stubborn refusal
to stop praying at Yasukuni Shrine.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yasukunishrine/

Kevin


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

"Koizumi's premeditated provocation
By WENRAN JIANG
FOR THE STRAITS TIMES


JAPANESE Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni
Shrine on Jan 1 was a premeditated move that is bound to complicate
the already fragile political relationship between China and Japan.

He knows that to Chinese, Koreans and many other people in Asia, the
Yasukuni Shrine - where more than 1,000 war criminals from World War
II are enshrined among Japan's war dead - is a place that reminds
them of great historical suffering during the period of Japanese
militarism.

He knows too that both the South Korean and Chinese governments have
expressed their clearest opposition to shrine visits by top Japanese
politicians, and launched diplomatic protests every time Mr Koizumi
made such a trip.

However, he has chosen to deny the existence of these protests, and
claimed instead that the controversial visits have
the 'understanding' of Japan's neighbouring countries.

This is a direct slap in the face of the new Chinese leadership,
namely President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, who have
refrained from criticising Mr Koizumi personally so far.

Mr Koizumi knows the Shinto site is a gathering place for right-wing
ultra nationalists to glorify Japan's past atrocities. It is a
shrine to propaganda materials that celebrate the 'war achievements'
and 'battle victories' of Japan's expansionist wars against Asian
countries from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries.

Yet instead of visiting any one of the other 8,000 shrines in Japan,
he chose to do his worship there in the name of peace and
prosperity.

This was a calculated step to mobilise support from his core right-
wing support base.

In his post-visit meeting with reporters, Mr Koizumi defended his
action against the expected protests from China and other
countries: 'With regard to showing respect to a country's own
history, traditions and customs, I don't think others should have
anything to say.'

Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? But it is, in fact, seriously
misleading in a number of ways:


First, Mr Koizumi, in Japanese traditional wafuku for the first time
in such a setting, tried to dress up his homage at the shrine as
following Japanese traditions and customs. The reality is that the
Yasukuni Shrine also houses more than a dozen Class A war criminals,
whose remains were moved there in 1978. Apart from Mr Koizumi, the
only other Japanese prime minister who has made an official visit
there since then was Mr Yasuhiro Nakasone, who did so in 1985.

Mr Koizumi, in addition, broke all records by being the first prime
minister to visit the shrine every year, four times so far, and
doing it on New Year's Day in his official capacity.

Instead of 'following' Japanese customs and traditions therefore,
what he obviously intends to do is demolish them and bring about new
ones based on his own political agenda.


Second, by citing 'respect to history, traditions and customs' to
legitimise his homage to the shrine, Mr Koizumi launched an implicit
yet vicious attack on the majority of Japan's lawmakers, including
many of his own Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) members, who have not
followed in his footsteps.

The reality is that the LDP's coalition partner and other opposition
parties have criticised Mr Koizumi for his 'irresponsible
behaviour'. They are by no means less respectful to Japan's customs
and traditions than Mr Koizumi.


Third, by stating that others should not comment on his visit to
this shrine, he intended to dismiss criticisms from abroad as
interference in Japan's domestic affairs, an old trick long used by
right-wing groups in promoting the shrine visit.

However, the issue of unambiguously rejecting Japan's militaristic
past goes beyond Japan's domestic domain. It is an international
issue defined by its historical significance.

How would the world respond if a German chancellor paid respect to
Holocaust criminals from World War II and then tried to explain his
act away by citing German traditions and customs?

In the Asian context, people in countries and regions that were once
dominated by Japanese militarism should at least be allowed to voice
their concern over Mr Koizumi's intentions and protest against what
they see as a reckless action.

So Mr Koizumi's defence is like the wafuku he wore on New Year's
Day: elaborate outside but hollow inside.

China has expressed its 'strong indignation' towards his provocative
move. But if Beijing fails to take tangible measures to back up its
angry words, the rest of the world may well see its official protest
as no more than a 'crying wolf' performance.


The writer is a political science professor at the University of
Alberta, Canada. E-mail: wenran.jiang@...

From the Straits Times





Subscribe to The Straits Times print edition today. In it you get
exclusive reports, analyses and news packages. Do it by email or
fax "

More damage to Japanese-Chinese relations:

--- In yasukunishrine@yahoogroups.com, "Kevin Burns" <kevin@t...>
wrote:
> BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- China Thursday expressed strong
> indignation at Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit
to
> the Yasukuni Shrine in disregard of the opposition from people of
> China and other Asian countries.
>
>     Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi lodged solemn
> representations over Koizumi's shrine visit and condemned the act
> when he summoned the charged affaires ad interim of Japan to China
> to an interview.
>
>     The shrine honors Class-A war criminals whose hands were
blotted
> with blood of people of China and other Asian countries, Wang
said.
>
>     Prime Minister Koizumi' shrine visit not only went back on his
> promise to reflect history but also impaired the political basis
of
> Sino-Japanese relations, he said.
>
>     The Chinese people cannot accept such actions by a Japanese
> leader, he stressed.
>
>     "Taking history as a mirror and looking forward to the future"
> is the only right attitude to historical issues, Wang stressed.
>
>     The Chinese Embassy to Japan also made solemn representations
to
> the Japanese government Thursday. Enditem

BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- China Thursday expressed strong
indignation at Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to
the Yasukuni Shrine in disregard of the opposition from people of
China and other Asian countries.

     Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi lodged solemn
representations over Koizumi's shrine visit and condemned the act
when he summoned the charged affaires ad interim of Japan to China
to an interview.

     The shrine honors Class-A war criminals whose hands were blotted
with blood of people of China and other Asian countries, Wang said.

     Prime Minister Koizumi' shrine visit not only went back on his
promise to reflect history but also impaired the political basis of
Sino-Japanese relations, he said.

     The Chinese people cannot accept such actions by a Japanese
leader, he stressed.

     "Taking history as a mirror and looking forward to the future"
is the only right attitude to historical issues, Wang stressed.

     The Chinese Embassy to Japan also made solemn representations to
the Japanese government Thursday. Enditem

I think that is way too harsh. There are many great Japanese people.
Very few are jerks. There are people like Governor Ishihara though.

--- In yasukunishrine@yahoogroups.com, "pimlico72" <pimlico72@h...>
wrote:
> what the shrine shows us is that 2 nuclear bombs wssnt enough ..
the
> job should have been completely done with the japanese race wiped
> off the face of the earth

what the shrine shows us is that 2 nuclear bombs wssnt enough .. the
job should have been completely done with the japanese race wiped
off the face of the earth

I heard there was talk of building a new shrine that would end this
problem. Then I heard that it won`t happen at least not yet. It`s too
bad because when Japanese politicians pray there, it really hurts
relations with China and Korea.

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I agree with you Kev, they really should be more considerate of their
neighours and of history. I hope China or Korea can talk some sense
into them.

--- In yasukunishrine@y..., kevinburns_jp <no_reply@y...> wrote:
> Again Koizumi hurt Japan's relations with her Asian neighbours with
> his latest visit to Yasukuni Shrine.  When will it stop? I hope they
> will build a new shrine housing the class A war criminals, so the
> ultranationalists can pray their and not offend anyone.  Yasukuni
> should be for the other victims of war, not the criminals, and
> Koizumi and his cohorts should know better.
>
> What do you think?

Again Koizumi hurt Japan's relations with her Asian neighbours with
his latest visit to Yasukuni Shrine.  When will it stop? I hope they
will build a new shrine housing the class A war criminals, so the
ultranationalists can pray their and not offend anyone.  Yasukuni
should be for the other victims of war, not the criminals, and
Koizumi and his cohorts should know better.

What do you think?

From reading this post, I assume that nothing has
been done to change the situation that continues to
anger other Asian nations. <br><br>I hope they do
something about the offensiveness<br>of Yasukuni Shrine. Be
it move the Class A war<br>criminals remains to
another shrine or build a<br>new shrime for politicians
to pray at.<br><br>Seems silly to keep annoying the
neighbours.

I think that the world's attention now is fully
focused on the terrorism fight. Prime Minister Koizumi is
embarking on a timely relationship rebuilding mission to
Korea (and China too I think?), so the momentum of
issues like this will probably die out.<br><br>Koizumi
is said to make apologies there, so that may be it
for now. However, war victims' memories are long, and
if Koizumi attempts to worship there again next
year, without the removal of the war criminals'
remains, and particularly on the anniversary of the
surrender, then anger will surely be re-aroused.
<br><br>When news is lame, the media could be relied upon for
stirring up controversy like they did this year.

What has happened on this? Does anyone know? Are they going to build a new, less
controversial shrine where politicians may pray?

I think your points are bang on! It is such a balancing act being a politician
and perhaps more<br>so being a member of the LDP.

I agree that Koizumi made a mistake, not
necessarily by going to Yasukuni, but mainly by his handling
of the matter.<br><br>Yasukuni is a shrine that
acknowledges those who died fighting for Japan in recent
history. Nobody can deny the Japanese, or people from any
other country the right to give thanks to those who
gave the ultimate sacrifice...whether their fight was
right or not.<br><br>However, the controvery lies in
the cunning enshrinement of the class-A war criminals
at Yasukuni in the late seventies. Albeit too late,
Koizumi saw the significance of worshipping there in an
official capacity, and compromised himself by changing the
date, and denying any connection with the class-A war
criminals. Once he committed himself to going, he couldn't
change his mind as that would have been political
suicide.<br><br>The resulting protests in Korea, with flag-burning,
finger chopping, hunger strikes, and World Cup boycott
threats, are way over the top in my opinion. Even if their
reasoning is understandable- which it is.<br><br>I don't
believe that Koizumi intentially wanted all of this to
happen. He is guilty of ignorance and insensitivity. He
could have avoided this mess by showing a little more
tact, perhaps by publicly denouncing the war criminals
first. The Koreans and Chinese could have also given a
little benefit of the doubt.

I think Koizumi made a big mistake today. He
continued the distrust that other Asian countries feel
towards Japan, and he showed that he really <br>doesn't
give a damn about the way they feel.<br>Japan
continues to shoot itself in the foot regarding its'
relations with the rest of Asia.

To some extent they are on the same side of the
same coin. I was happy to see on the front page
of<br>The Japan Times, many Japanese protesting the
use<br>of the controversial textbook, and most of those
pictured were older Japanese! That was also refreshing.
<br><br>There is hope for this country. We are
slowly<br>mopping up silly things like Yasukuni and approving
controversial textbooks.<br><br>Once the old guard is gone, I
think things will<br>improve more quickly in terms of
acknowledging t<br>Japan's responsibility for the war and like.

Yeah I agree with that point Rastis. Tojo and
others should never had been buried there in the first
place.<br><br>I can't believe that many Japanese think Tojo was a
hero, not a criminal, and he sacrificed himself at the
war crimes courts in order to save the
Emperor.<br><br>If they had any brains, they'd be blaming him and
his military peers for the war, and the deaths
resulted from it.<br><br>Little wonder the Asian
neighbours of Japan are distressed at the thought of Koizumi
praying at Yasukuni.

Banziwarrior, well said! You are bang on, on a
number of points! Koizumi stated recently that
he<br>would go to Yasukuni and then patch things
up<br>afterwards. Pretty silly if you ask me! I think<br>Japan
needs to patch things up now, and not pray<br>at
Yasukuni.<br><br>Tojo and the other war criminals need to be
moved<br>to another location.

I'll be interested, like many others, to see what
explanation Koizumi offers for creating this
controversy.<br><br>Will he be using this as an opportunity to formally
apologise to victims of Japan's WW2 agressions? By doing so
he could harness Japan's current drive towards
economic and social reform, which he helped create.
<br><br>Who knows.<br><br>Like many foreigners here, I think
the problem is that Japanese people just don't get it
with respect to history. Take today's annual Hiroshima
A-Bomb memorial for instance. <br><br>Japanese grief is
understandable. I felt it strongly when I visited Hiroshima too.
But will we ever see the day when Japanese people
express the same sorrow towards the lives that they took
away?<br><br>They mightn't have done it in one or two nuclear
blasts, but they did it nontheless.<br><br>Will we ever
see the day when Japanese fully and formally
acknowledge that the Pacific War was initiated by Japan, and
it was done so out of pure race and power
aggressions, and not because world economic sanctions forced
them to attack? <br><br>So, just who were the victims
of WW2?<br><br>It has taken nearly six decades of
peace for Japan to mull over that question, and they
keep getting the answer wrong. to the world's
disbelief.

I agree with this, and it seems that Koizumi
is<br>starting to waver. I doubt he will go to Yasukuni<br>now.
Plus the Koreans have just demanded that <br>Koreans
names be taken out of Yasukuni so the pressure is
escalating.

I agree with you!

They should fix the problem somehow but politicians should not pray there.

If Koizumi prays at Yasukuni Shrine, he will
deal<br>another damaging blow to Japanese relations with<br>her
Asian neighbours. It is time to stop, and try<br>to
mend the bridges to Asia. Koizumi can
pray<br>somewhere else and can set a good example by doing so.

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