 Koizumi: No problem in Yasukuni Shrine visit Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro in the Diet has said that he sees no reason why China and South Korea should criticize him for mourning for the war dead at Yasukuni Shrine. Koizumi stated this in the House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting on May 16 in answer to questions by Sengoku Yoshito, Democratic Party of Japan member. The prime minister went on to say, "Other countries should not interfere with the ways countries pay tribute to the war dead. I see no problem in paying tribute to enshrined Class-A World War II war criminals as the country's war dead." In response to Sengoku urging the prime minister to refrain from making further visits to the shrine, Koizumi said, "You are simply criticizing the head of the Japanese government on the grounds that foreign arguments are just. I see no problems with visiting the shrine." Referring to the timing of his next visit, he said, "I will decide appropriately when to go." * * * Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi criticized Koizumi for his defiant statement regarding his Yasukuni visit as follows: Yasukuni Shrine is not just another religious institution. Its mission is to praise acts of war. In the prewar days, it helped mobilize the people for the war of aggression. It is now praising that war as a just war for Japan's survival and self-defense. Yasukuni Shrine uses its website to publicize its argument that the Class-A war criminals are enshrined because they are victims of false accusations. Yasukuni Shrine is sending out the message that Japan's war (of aggression) was 'a just war.' Yasukuni Shrine is the most inappropriate place to mourn for the war dead, and it goes against Japan's no-war pledge. The prime minister must not endanger friendships with neighboring countries (which is in Japan's national interests) with his arrogance and defiant behavior. After WWII, the world determined never to allow wars of aggression. That was based on a critical review of the history of the war of aggression that was carried out under the assumption that territorial expansion is necessary for the survival of the nation. How extraordinary it is for the prime minister to lack this fundamental self-criticism! - Akahata, May 17, 2005 |