Emperor of Japan conveys profound regret, marking 80 years since the end of World War II.
In a tradition that continues to stir controversy, both Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on August 15. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, too, addressed a ceremony at the shrine, sending a customary offering and pledging to uphold the painful memories of war and pursue actions toward lasting peace.
The Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 2.5 million Japanese soldiers, is a symbol of Japan’s militaristic past for many Asian neighbors, as it also enshrines convicted Class-A war criminals from World War II, including former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo. This inclusion makes the shrine a source of strong condemnation from countries like China and South Korea, who view official visits to the shrine as a refusal to fully acknowledge or atone for wartime aggression.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako were also present at the shrine, where they felt a deep and renewed sense of sorrow. However, the national flag flew at half-mast outside the shrine, a symbol of the solemnity of the occasion.
The visits by cabinet ministers have angered China and South Korea, who interpret these trips as a sign of Japan’s inadequate remorse and a challenge to peace and friendship in the region. The Chinese Embassy in Japan criticized the ministers’ visits as reflecting the "lingering ghosts" of militarism.
Within Japan, the government maintains that visits to the shrine are to mourn the war dead in general and renew a commitment to peace, rather than to honor specific war criminals. Nevertheless, these visits remain a sensitive political and diplomatic issue, frequently provoking regional backlash despite domestic support by some politicians, particularly from certain factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
A 53-year-old graphic designer from Tokyo, Takashi Eguchi, views Yasukuni Shrine as an accessible place for reflection on Japan's history. Visitor Harada, aged 39 from Nagano, came dressed in a Japanese imperial army uniform to honor the war dead. Members of the "Japanese first" Sanseito party, which made strong gains in the July upper house election, were also present at the shrine.
Sanae Takaichi, a member of the nationalist wing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and a political rival of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, was also present at the shrine. No Japanese prime minister has visited the shrine since 2013.
Despite the controversy, the visits to Yasukuni Shrine underscore the complex and ongoing debate about Japan's wartime past and its responsibility in the region.
The visits to Yasukuni Shrine by cabinet ministers have provoked strong condemnation from China and South Korea, as these countries view these trips as a sign of Japan's inadequate remorse and a challenge to peace and friendship in the region. Domestically, the debate about Yasukuni Shrine continues to be a sensitive political and diplomatic issue, with certain factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party showing support for the visits, while peace initiatives and general news discussions often center around Japan's wartime past and its responsibility in the region.
