Japan Press Weekly

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2013 August 14 - 20 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Abe Cabinet heading down the path to the past

A visit to the war-praising Yasukuni Shrine on this day, August 15, by Japanese government officials poses a challenge to other Asian nations which suffered from Imperial Japan’s war of aggression during WWII.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo sent his aide to the shrine to offer a sacred tree branch in his stead. Three of his cabinet ministers actually visited there.

Glamorization of wars

Yasukuni Shrine functioned as an important “sacred place” for promoting the war of aggression in wartime. It is now a “sacred place” for people who want to propagate the justification of Japan’s past wars. They often glorify the war of aggression as a war for Imperial Japan’s “self-defense for existence” and for the “liberation of Asia”. For senior Japanese officials to make offerings or offer prayers there causes the international community to conclude that Japan has a reactionary view of history.

For an annual spring festival held at the shrine in April, PM Abe made an offering and four ministers, including Deputy PM Aso Taro, worshipped there. They naturally came under fire from other countries. South Korea condemned such an anachronistic practice as erasing history. Its National Assembly even adopted a resolution denouncing their visit as harming ROK-Japan relations and the future of peace in Northeast Asia. China criticized their visit as a denial of the history of Japan’s militarism and its invasion. The Abe government still is unable to hold a summit meeting with either head of state although eight months have passed since its inauguration.

US concern

The U.S. Congress was also concerned about Japanese officials’ visit to Yasukuni this month, saying it could increase regional tensions. A senior U.S. official conveyed to Japan the U.S. concern that the disagreement over the understanding of history could affect the U.S. regional strategy involving itself, Japan, and South Korea.

After making a visit to Yasukuni on behalf of PM Abe, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Hagiuda Koichi said he had informed the shrine authorities that the prime minister was very sorry for not being able to worship there at this time, but his feeling of gratitude for Yasukuni is everlasting. Abe had Hagiuda sign a book for worshippers using the title of “LDP President, Abe Shinzo”. This is of grave significance.

Apart from LDP politicians, many Dietmembers of the Democratic Party of Japan, the Japan Restoration Party, and the Your Party, with their party executives taking the lead, also visited the shrine on the same day. All these parties will neither stop nor confront the Abe government which is now heading down the path to the past.