Pro-Yasukuni forces set up parliamentarian league to press China

   As part of their effort to justify Japan’s past war of aggression, pro-Yasukuni forces on June 13 established a new Parliamentary group demanding that Chinese museums of the war of Chinese people’s resistance against Japan remove photographs that the group deems as “unfair.”

   Forty-two Dietmembers from the Liberal Democratic and People’s New parties as well as independents who support the Yasukuni Shrine’s view of history have joined in the group.

   This group is headed by House of Representative member Hiranuma Takeo, an independent who heads the Japan Conference (Nippon Kaigi) Dietmembers Council. Advisors include Machimura Nobutaka, Nakagawa Shoichi, Shimamura Yoshinobu, and Tamazawa Tokuichiro from the LDP as well as Kamei Shizuka (PNP).

   At a press conference after the inaugural meeting, Hiranuma said that more than 100 such museums located across China are displaying photos showing “lies” and the group’s goal is to have China remove them from the museums.

   The group urged Foreign Ministry officials who attended the meeting to investigate in detail the exhibition of those museums and make public the result.

- Akahata, June 14, 2007