Concerning the Yasukuni Shrine Problem
By Kase Hideaki,
Abstract
Abstract: Concerning Yasukuni Shrine ProblemsVisits to Yasukuni Shrine by prime ministers of Japan are not a novel
event, but complaints about the visits are, the author points out.
In the 61 years since the end of the war, there have been more than 55
visits by Japanese prime ministers to the shrine. Emperor Showa himself
went eight times. The loudest protesting voices come from the governments
of the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Korea, complaining
that so-called Class-A war criminals are enshrined in Yasukuni. But neither
government said anything about the 1979 visits by then PM Ohira
Masayoshi despite the publicity on the recent addition of the Class-A war
criminals to the list of shrine deities. Author suggests that there is some
hypocrisy behind the loud protests.