Abe sends ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine

Then remove the Class A and B war criminals from Yasukuni

Doesn't work that way, insofar as Shintoism is concerned. Just their bodies aren't interred there, their kami/spirits are (assuming you believe in that sort of thing). Supposedly once interred these cannot be just transferred to another place. This has come up before, when a wife petitioned to have her husband moved from Yasukuni after he was interred there and the shrine could not honour that request.

This is all assuming you believe any of that belief structure, but that would be the reason presented for why it isn't that simple. I don't, and I generally think it is a massive mountain being made out of a molehill from both camps.

Since Yasukuni inters all war dead who died for Japan, not simply WW2 war criminals, there is no real way to separate these. Of course you could argue that the war criminals should never have been interred to begin with, and that would be a fair argument, but they were so there isn't much to do about it at this point. I think the concession that current PMs make of generally not visiting the shrine is already a pretty substantial one. Imagine if countries demanded that the United States president stop visiting Arlington Cemetery. Nobody interred there is as guilty of heinous crimes, at least from the American perspective, but it would be a demand that would probably not be followed regardless.

Udondashi:

Until when does this liar want to be a conservative politician?

It makes my blood boil !

Just ignore it. It's not good for your health. People have different opinions and faiths regardless of your wish. This is not China or Korea. You will never be able to force your opinions in a free world. Accept it.

The objections to visits and donations to Yasukuni have nothing to do with the war dead enshrined there. They are all to do with the others (non-war-dead) enshrined there. Anyone who does not recognise that fact is either ignorant or dishonest.

Without wishing to debate further the contentious issues of Yasukini, it is interesting how societies portray the same moments of history.

Coincidentally, yesterday was the 75th anniversary of the completion of the Thai-Burma railway (aka Death Railway) and in Australia a memorial gathering was held of living pow survivors who slaved on the railway, to remember their fallen comrades. Their stories were full of horror esp the retelling of Hellfire Pass - a cutting only a few hundred metres in total, but where 700 Australians alone died. But the atmosphere at the gathering was one of "Forgive, but don't Forget".

One powerful hellish symbol of that brutal war event, was the steam locomotive C56 31 which ran on the completed railway serving the IJA. And now it takes it's pride of place in Yasukuni, in it's war musuem - Yushukan. Of course no explanation is given describing the hell (nick-named Dantes Inferno) that was the construction of the railway. Just a kid of silent pride in the power of Japan's war time technology.

I have no axe to grind, but it's not difficult to see why the actions of the PM visiting or making offerings to Yasukuni upsets some.

There is a museum next to the shrines where we can learn some history. The 20 year olds’ letters written before their Kamikaze mission are on display.

20 year olds today enjoy practicing their dance moves in front of glass building windows and sleeping in late.

Doing something like this just before an upcoming meeting with a neighbor........we've seen this before. Rinse and repeat.

joyridingonthetitanicToday 07:10 pm JST

Its his right and choice to pay tributes at any shrine of his choosing.

Yes, as a private citizen and in private. That wouldn't do a whole lot for his support rate among the black truck crowd though, would it?

Yasukuni Shrine honors the dead from all wars going back to the Meiji era, not just WW2. Anyone who fights and dies for their country is a patriot and deserves to be respected and honored. Perhaps it's because Japan lost WW2 that peolple think otherwise.

Those who choose to "cast the first stone" should realise that many countries have monuments to honor those who fought and/or died for their country regardless/despite however good or bad their behaviour may have been. During the occupation of Japan attrocities including pack rape, robbery with violence and murder were commited by Australian members of the BCOF. against Japanese civilians. The records of investigations into some of these are held in Canberra,presumably never to be released. To the victors go the spoils.

Good to see PM Abe doing his duty. He would truly be a fool not to send an offering

The Emperor is not sending donations, and is no fool. Only a right-winger loves the Emperor but only as a symbol, not the lessons he brings to their warmongering brains.

Abe's Guide to Diplomacy for Dummies:

Step 1: Say 'I want to be your friend'.

Step 2: Punch them in the face.

Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2.

So, JUST after Abe says it's his "life's work" to solve the abduction issue, he pays money to the shrine that pretty much all Japan's Neighbors abhor for its nationalistic ties and also its history of white-washing (look at the museum), glorifying the IJA, and of course for enshrining war criminals. Not only that, he does it less than a Week after the head of the shrine resigned for slagging the Emperor -- Abe's living god.

And people like Abe and the wingers will within this very thread be asking why other nations are angry about Abe doing this, and blaming the victims of Japan's atrocities instead of actually being open to the answers to their question.

seadog538Oct. 18 06:04 am JST

I'm Australian, and I hope those men, or their legacies are/were brought to justice! They are certainly not people or actions I would condone. They are not people that I (let alone the Prime Minister) would go and pray for in honor of, and they are not actions that I would sweep under a rug somewhere... A disgusting thing they apparently did...

I fully condone a national inquiry into it, and that actions like that be admonished and shamed in school text books.

But singling out a small isolated incident like that and using it as an argument that somehow nullify the massive scale of Japan's brutal actions, mass-murders and rapes that were known about at administrative level (and tacitly condoned at minimum), but were never atoned for... is just not going to work.

Nice strawman.

@browny1, good post.

Richard Flanagan's Booker prize winning novel is strongly linked to the murder of the POWs under the criminal IJA and their Korean lackeys.

It specifically mentions that train engine.

They are all to do with the others (non-war-dead) enshrined there. Anyone who does not recognise that fact is either ignorant or dishonest.

Then remove the Class A and B war criminals from Yasukuni.

I have no problem with this. Its his right and choice to pay tributes at any shrine of his choosing. Don't let the naysayers and the haters put you off Abe! Well done!

No sense of right and wrong is the fundamental problem of Abe's foreign policy, domestic policy, and personal policy-cronyism.

Not surprised. All despotic regimes must perpetuate some sort of hatred towards another entity to remain in power. What else explains this callous display.

Good for Abe. Pay respect to those who died for Japan. Ignore the haters.

If there is one thing about Japan which intreges me (little else does these days), it is Japans unfailing ability to self-destruct.

I ask myself, why has the Japan I once knew - respected, admired, renowned for hard work, a high standard of education and honest moral values, become a laughing stock. Who would ever believe that a PM would degrade his/her own country.

The answer is, Japan is run by the Prime Minister but by a bureaucratic web located in an area of Tokyo called Kasumigaseki. They set the agenda.

Draw your own conclusions.

Then remove the Class A and B war criminals from Yasukuni

Doesn't work that way, insofar as Shintoism is concerned.

Well, if there is one thing I know about Japanese culture; the goal posts can be moved by some old guys at any time... no explanation required other than 'it's Japanese culture'.

If nothing can be done about it, Abe's visits and offerings mean that he actively supports the actions of the wartime criminals enshrined there. Speaks a lot about him as a person, and does not represent Japan in a good light internationally.

So many Japanese don't like the countries, China/SK/USA, who complained Abe's visit.

Well, that just about sums it up. Thank you Tina for showing everybody Japans true colors.

Why is the Prime Minister of a country trying to degrade the very country he claims he represents?

Good job PM Abe. It is necessary for a leader to pay respects to the country's war dead even if it invites trouble or hatred from allies and enemies alike.

Until when does this liar want to be a conservative politician?

It makes my blood boil !

It's his prerogative. He obviously chooses the route of no peace or repatriation between Japan and the countries it brutalized in WWII. Therefore Japan is NOT a peaceful nation. Deal with it.

Good for Abe. Pay respect to those who died for Japan. Ignore the haters.

Died for Japan? More like killed for Japan.

Another thing, it isn't about hate, it's about acknowledging one's own history! Japan could have easily avoided the war, but it jumped head first into it, thinking it could win!

Yasukuni Shrine honors the dead from all wars going back to the Meiji era, not just WW2. Anyone who fights and dies for their country is a patriot and deserves to be respected and honored. Perhaps it's because Japan lost WW2 that peolple think otherwise.

You really need to take a closer look at just who is interred at Yasukuni. It does NOT honor the dead from ALL wars, only those who died on the side of Japan. Including pets? Gimmie a break!

The shrine lists the names, origins, birthdates, and places of death of 2,466,532 men, women and children, including various pet animals. Among those are 1,068 convicted war criminals, 14 of whom are A-Class (leading to the Yasukuni controversies). Another memorial at the Honden building commemorates anyone who died on behalf of Japan, but includes Koreans and Taiwanese who served Japan at the time.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasukuni_Shrine

As a PM of a great nation, Abe can't separate his personal matter from state matter is a sign of amateurity. Not all deads are the same, some are guilty, some are heroic. Nation of no shame is a nation of no hope.

Good to see PM Abe doing his duty. He would truly be a fool not to send an offering

Good for PM Abe. All Japanese have the right to honor all people who died in wars, even if today's offering will incense PRC, SK and others.