Shinzo Abe, centre, follows a Shinto priest as he visits the Yasukuni shrine for war dead. Photograph: Toru Hanai/Reuters
Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has made a visit to a
controversial war shrine in Tokyo, prompting a furious response from
China and concern in the US.
Abe, who became prime minister for a second time exactly a year ago,
is the first Japanese leader to have visited the Yasukuni shrine since
Junichiro Koizumi just over seven years ago.
A conservative who has spoken of the need for Japan to end its
“masochistic” feelings of guilt over its wartime conduct in Asia, Abe
had voiced regret that he did not make the pilgrimage during his first,
year-long term as prime minister from September 2006.
Thursday’s visit sparked predictable outrage from China and South
Korea, which view Yasukuni as a potent symbol of Japanese militarism,
and visits by politicians as evidence that Japan has yet to atone for
atrocities committed in parts of China and on the Korean peninsula in
the first half of the 20th century.
“The Chinese government expresses strong indignation at the Japanese
leader’s trampling on the feelings of the people of China and the other
war victim nations, and the open challenge to historical justice … and
expresses strong protest and serious condemnation to Japan,” China’s
foreign ministry said in a statement.
Qin Gang, a foreign ministry spokesman, added: “We strongly protest
and seriously condemn the Japanese leader’s acts. The essence of
Japanese leaders’ visits to Yasukuni shrine is to beautify Japan’s
history of militaristic aggression and colonial rule.”
China later stepped up its response by summoning Japan’s ambassador in Beijing, Masato Kitera, to lodge a “strong protest”.
South Korea’s culture minister, Yoo Jin-ryong, said Abe’s visit was
“an anachronistic act” that “hurts not only the ties between South Korea
and Japan, but also fundamentally damages the stability and
co-operation in north-east Asia.”
“We can’t help deploring and expressing anger at the prime minister’s
visit to the Yasukuni shrine … despite concerns and warnings by
neighbouring countries,” Yoo said.
Yasukuni honours about 2.5 million Japanese who have died in wars
since the late 19th century, including several wartime leaders convicted
as class-A war criminals by the allied tribunal.
Abe insisted he had “no intention” of hurting the feelings of the Chinese or South Korean people.
“There is criticism based on the misconception that this is an act to
worship war criminals, but I visited Yasukuni shrine to report to the
souls of the war dead on the progress made this year and to convey my
resolve that people never again suffer the horrors of war,” he told
reporters.
“I prayed to pay respect for the war dead who sacrificed their
precious lives and hoped that they rest in peace. Unfortunately, a
Yasukuni visit has largely turned into a political and diplomatic issue.
I have no intention to neglect the feelings of the people in China and
South Korea.”
He attempted to strike a conciliatory note, saying his pilgrimage had
been made in light of his “severe remorse” over the past, although he
did not make specific mention of Japan’s brutal occupation of parts of
China and the Korean peninsula.
“Japan must never wage war again,” he said. “This is my conviction based on severe remorse for the past.”
Abe would have expected strong words from Beijing and Seoul, but not the US’s rare public expression of concern.
In a statement carried on the website of the US embassy in Tokyo, the
state department said: “Japan is a valued ally and friend.
Nevertheless, the United States is disappointed that Japan’s leadership
has taken an action that will exacerbate tensions with Japan’s
neighbours.
“The United States hopes that both Japan and its neighbours will find
constructive ways to deal with sensitive issues from the past, to
improve their relations, and to promote co-operation in advancing our
shared goals of regional peace and stability. We take note of [Abe’s]
expression of remorse for the past and his reaffirmation of Japan’s
commitment to peace.”
Japan’s foreign minister, Fumio Kishida, later explained Abe’s
reasoning for the visit in a telephone conversation with Washington’s
new ambassador to Tokyo, Caroline Kennedy.
The visit is expected to inflict more damage on Japan’s ties with its
neighbours. Japan is embroiled in a long-running standoff with China
over a group of islands in a strategically important area of the East
China Sea, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, and
with South Korea over sovereignty of the Takeshima islands, known as
Dokdo by South Koreans.
Some analysts believe Abe’s visit will add to concern overseas that
he is a nationalist with revisionist views of history. “[Abe] probably
thinks that it’s OK, that he’s relatively popular and it’s a matter of
conviction,” said Koichi Nakano, a professor of politics at Sophia
University in Tokyo. “But everyone knew with Koizumi … he wasn’t a
revisionist nationalist. But with Abe, that is precisely the question
some people were asking. Now we know the answer.”
COPY http://www.theguardian.com/
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