Yasakuni Shrine

The Yasakuni Shrine is devoted to Japanese soldiers who died fighting in wars for their nation. This shrine has been a controversial topic since the end of World War Two since the shrine also honours 14 Japanese leaders who were convicted by the Allied Tribunal as war criminals. During the Second World War Japan had strong military presences in both Korea and China and massacred thousands of civilians during its imperial rule. Japanese militarism and aggression was responsible for horrendous atrocities like the Rape of Nanjing and Unit 731.

The Yasakuni shrine honours all Japanese war dead including soldiers that committed such heinous war crimes, and a visit by any Japanese prime minister always leads to tense relations between Japan and its neighbours. In 1985 the Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone visited the shrine to commemorate the Japanese war dead on the 40^th anniversary of their surrender. This visit was ill advised and it led to large anti-Japanese demonstrations in more than a dozen cities in China.

This article writes how current Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sent a ritual offering to the shrine for its four day autumn festival. His offering was a Masakaki tree that is typical of Shinto rituals. This offering comes prior to Abe’s three-day visit to China in October 25^th where he will be meeting with President Xi to discuss ways of improving relations between the two nations. This ritual offering has caused anger in both China and South Korea with the Korean foreign ministry releasing the statement. “Our government urges the Japanese political leaders to strive for trust of neighbouring countries and the international community through humble introspection on the past and sincere self-reflection based on correct understanding of history.” If Japan truly wants to improve relations with its neighbours its political leaders must move away from honouring this shrine that is still a source of pain and hatred for many in the region.

References

Sino-Japanese Relations: Pragmatism and Passion Allen S. Whiting and Xin Jianfei

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-yasukuni/japanese-pm-abe-sends-ritual-offering-to-yasukuni-shrine-for-war-dead-idUSKBN1HS050