Prime Minister Koizumi's folly of insisting on making Yasukuni visits -- Akahata editorial, April 9
Commenting on the Fukuoka District Court ruling that Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro has visited Yasukuni Shrine in violation of the Constitution's Article 20 banning the state from carrying out religious activity, Koizumi said, "I do not see why my visits are unconstitutional," and expressed his intention to make further visits to the war shrine. Asked by the press why he is so insistent about visiting Yasukuni, he said, "It is out of a natural feeling for me to mourn for the war dead. I don't see why other countries complain about it."
Clear violation of the Constitution
If he really does not know why his Yasukuni visits are unconstitutional, he should follow the dictate of common sense to try first to comprehend why the court ruled his visits as unconstitutional before deciding on what to do next. But Prime Minister Koizumi has made clear that he will continue his visits even though he doesn't know why, thus doubly or triply breaking the constitutional law.
The Fukuoka District Court ruling gave a clear explanation of why Prime Minister Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine were in violation of the Constitution. If he carefully reads the text of the ruling, there should be no room for calling the court decision into question.
Prime Minister Koizumi deliberately repeats the phrase "I don't see why" apparently for the purpose of avoiding direct debate and maintaining his weak argument. In parliamentary discussion, Prime Minister Koizumi habitually dodges questions by changing the subject, which is a mean trick that reveals the fact that he has no logical answers.
At Yasukuni Shrine, Tojo Hideki and other war criminals are enshrined as gods. A visit to this shrine by Prime Minister Koizumi, who represents the Japanese government, is just like a German chancellor paying respects to Hitler at his grave, and no German chancellor has ever done such a thing. It stands to reason that Koizumi's Yasukuni visits have drawn criticism at home and internationally. Anyone with common sense can see the incongruity. The reason is clear to those who have the slightest knowledge of the Second World War.
Prime Minister Koizumi, however, openly states, "I don't feel that there is anything wrong with Yasukuni Shrine enshrining Class-A war criminals," thus revealing his position of glossing over the war of aggression. This is totally unacceptable. Foreign Minister Kawaguchi Yoriko justified the visits saying, "The prime minister visits the shrine out of his wish for peace and development."
In order to justify his visit to Yasukuni Shrine himself, Prime Minister Koizumi states, "It's out of a natural feeling of grief that I offer my condolences to the war dead." But again, this is a tricky way of making excuses for encouraging militarism.
On every August 15th, the prime minister addresses the government-sponsored memorial service for the war dead to officially offer "condolences" to the war dead. There is no reason for his having to visit Yasukuni Shrine. The Fukuoka District Court ruling said: "A prime minister can mourn for the war dead in any number of ways other than visiting to Yasukuni Shrine."
The Yasukuni Shrine was a military-religious institution administered by the Japanese Army and Navy. As the spiritual mainstay of Japanese militarism and the war of aggression, it had a role to play in mobilizing the people for the war of aggression. How can the visit to Yasukuni Shrine, which served to increase the number of war dead, be an expression of "condolences for the war dead"?
Prime Minister Koizumi says, "(Visiting the shrine) is out of a natural feeling." This means that he recognizes the importance of the shrine in the same manner as during the war.
No more 'war heroes'
It is reasonable for the plaintiffs in the Yasukuni Shrine lawsuit to call for "no more 'war heroes'". Their call is very significant, particularly at a time when the Koizumi Cabinet has dispatched the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq in defiance of strong public opposition.
Prime Minister Koizumi must put an end to his Yasukuni Shrine visits. (end)
Prime Minister Koizumi's folly of insisting on making Yasukuni visits -- Akahata editorial, April 9