Abe should avoid Yasukuni shrine, says int'l think tank

I hope they didn't need too long to think about it.

"“China should calm anti-Japan rhetoric, delink wartime history from the islands dispute and open senior political channels to Japan,”

Why isn't this the headline? AFP doesn't think this would much much farther to promote peace in the region than telling a PM from visiting a shrine in his own country that honors dead people?

Japan is a sovereign nation........ Japan does not need to be told how to honor the war dead

Going on her previous, sterling performances, I'd say that's exactly what Japan needs.

I would support changes at Yasinkuni IF South Korea got the chip off their shoulder. China is probably a lost cause.

A reason why the US practices "separation between church and state." Maybe Obama should give Abe a call and talk about such benefits.

Imagine the world's reaction if Germany's top government officials repeatedly visited a shrine that honored Hitler, Goebbels, and other war criminals, and to make it "okay," had some non-Nazis

@seriously Does the US really separate church and state? In God We Trust, and all that.

As @semperfi points out, Japan is indeed a sovereign nation that is honoring its war dead. China is a bully that should practice what it preaches.

A reason why the US practices "separation between church and state." Maybe Obama should give Abe a call and talk about such benefits.

I was under the impression that technically Japan does have separation of church and state. I'm not entirely sure of that though.

Japan is a sovereign nation........ Japan does not need to be told how to honor the war dead

Is that because it's a sovereign nation? Does being a sovereign nation somehow make a country and everyone in it infallible?

The Japanese majority wants PM to visit the shrine. Period.

Japan is a sovereign nation........ Japan does not need to be told how to honor the war dead

semperfi -- fair enough. And China is a sovereign nation and has every right to hate Japan for honoring soldiers who brought such misery to its people. But as this group says, "Where does that get us?".

Lucky we have think tanks like this to point out the bleeding obvious.

The Japanese majority wants PM to visit the shrine. Period.

Anybody polled the Japanese on whether they want the war criminals taken out of the shrine, so the controversy would go away?

No secret that Abe really, really wants to visit Yasukuni Shrine as prime minister on 15 August. He's never done so before in the capacity of prime minister (his only two previous chances were in 2007 and 2013, and he avoided Yasukuni on 15/8 both times). My guess--Abe will visit Yasukuni on 15 August of 2015, the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender, provided he's still in office as prime minister. So maybe not this year, but next.

And I've written this before--the real problem at the Yasukuni grounds area is not the shrine itself, but the Yushukan located museum right next to it. That place is ridiculous and is analogous to a US History museum designed by a bunch of John Birch Society right-wing extremists being located right next to Arlington national cemetery.

@Simon Being a sovereign nation means you better have some sort of international consensus in favor of a change and the punishment to make it happen. China/South Korea have neither.

But the prime minister only wants to visit there to pray for peace. God knows there are several better candidate place in Japan to pray without any terrible outcomes but it must be there.

But the prime minister only wants to visit there to pray for peace.

Then praying at a shrine that white-washes the war is probably not the best way to achieve that peace.

“China should calm anti-Japan rhetoric, delink wartime history from the islands dispute and open senior political channels to Japan,” said the group’s China analyst

Then another way to fan nationalism in China to help keep the Communist Party legitimate and relevant should also be suggested. Otherwise, how's it going to work?

semperfi -- fair enough. And China is a sovereign nation and has every right to hate Japan for honoring soldiers who brought such misery to its people. But as this group says, "Where does that get us?".

Distraction of the masses from the ever widening income gap between inland poor and relatively rich coastal city dwellers, mass civil rights violations, discontent echoing publicly from Hong Kong, Tibetan oppression, unmitigated food safety scares, Uygur blamed terrorism (I would sooner believe these Uygurs are in the same blame boat as the Japanese). See, it does at least get the Chinese somewhere..to vent their anger about their crappy lives.

"Japan is a sovereign nation........ Japan does not need to be told how to honor the war dead"

The biggest mistake by MacArthur, not hanging Hirohito and many other war criminals. There are too many war criminals with attitude - still alive today.

Abe has his mother;s side ancestors and relatives enshrined in Yasukuni. He is related to Kogoro Katsura (Takayoshi Kido). Not only that, the father-in-law of his grand uncle, Eisaku Sato) was enshrined. Yosuke Matsuoka was not convicted and died with TB in Sugamo Prison but his name was added to Tojo etc. Majority of Yamaguchi-ken people have someone related to them enshrined there since Boshin War result.

The arrogance ain't takin u any where. By the time u come to knw that it is a waste of time hatin on SK & CHINA these two new buddies wud have surpursed JAPAN by far and deep inside u already knw that.

StrangerlandJUL. 25, 2014 - 12:00PM JST Then praying at a shrine that white-washes the war is probably not the best way to achieve that peace.

I was being sarcastic. Of course I find it funny that Yasukuni Shrine is even associated with peace.

'The Japanese majority wants PM to visit the shrine. Period.'

I haven't seen any poll saying this. This a report on the results of a telephone poll from the Japan Times, 2013:

'According to the results, 69.8 percent think Abe should take diplomatic relations into consideration when deciding whether to visit the contentious shrine, versus 25.3 percent who disagree.

Another 47.1 percent said it “was not good” to visit the shrine, compared with 43.2 percent who appreciated the act.'

The biggest mistake by MacArthur, not hanging Hirohito and many other war criminals. There are too many war criminals with attitude - still alive today.

'Mistake' as in the Rape of Nanking was a 'mistake', 'accident'. 'naive error in judgment'? the war criminals that MacArthur and glorious occupying forces used to stabilize post-war anti-communist Japan probably said their roles in invasion of Asia as 'mistakes'. I love sugar coating, especially on my desert.

Jimizo, the Japan Times is famous for anti-Japan just like Asashi Shinbun.

Do you remember Mr. Abe's poll increased right after he visited the shrine last December? Everybody around me supports his visit. I was amazed by the large crowd of visitors on the New Year Day thanks to Abe's visit.

@Simon Being a sovereign nation means you better have some sort of international consensus in favor of a change and the punishment to make it happen. China/South Korea have neither.

Hrm. So in which other countries do most people support Japanese politicians' visits to Yasukuni Shrine? If I'm not very much mistaken, it is actually something the Obama administration, the Chinese and Koreans see eye to eye on. There's some consensus right there. There are plenty of punishment options too, but they'll never be used.

Imagine the world's reaction if Germany's top government officials repeatedly visited a shrine that honored Hitler, Goebbels, and other war criminals, and to make it "okay," had some non-Nazis

Do I have to imagine that the world's mindset is similar to South Korea and Mainland China?

I bet Yasukuni Shrine continues to be a sore point between Japan and Korea and China for at least another 50 years.

Imagine the world's reaction if Germany's top government officials repeatedly visited a shrine that honored Hitler, Goebbels, and other war criminals, and to make it "okay," had some non-Nazis

No really, if anything the Yasukuni shrine experience has lent me, only 2 countries (one of them elected a notorious dictator's daughter whose only notable feat is writing a book that denies she is anything like her father as President, the other is a Communist Party ruled dictatorship) would give a crap while the rest, despite incurring massive casualties fighting the Germans won't give a crap.

A true leader of sovereign nation needs not any advices from overseas what to do or not to do. A boneless puppet always needs. Simple as that.

@neojamal.......only 2 countries? The UN resolution of 34 countries, The President of the US calling and asking Abe and party to stop visiting War Criminals. US congressional Resolutions. Worldwide condemnation. Name ONE COUNTRY in the world that want any leader to visit Hitler or Tojo and pay respects. Notorious dictator? President Park is why Korea passed Japan 5 years ago and every American has a Samsung TV, an LG G3 phone, or a Hyundai in their driveway. Same with almost the whole world. Go to any big box store worldwide and see the Sony and other Japanese gadgets with a tiny display way at the back. No one wants them any more. They aren't cool and the racism associated with them isn't cool either. Every American and Canadian I know is deeply offended by JPN leaders visiting those monsters while using the excuse that there are some others souls added in there too. So basically, it's not 2 to 1. It's 200 to 1 against.

IlbonPaboJul. 27, 2014 - 06:05AM JST @neojamal.......only 2 countries? The UN resolution of 34 countries, The President of the US calling and asking Abe >and party to stop visiting War Criminals

That is completely incorrect. The United States was against Abe visiting the shrine only because Chia and South Korea would use it to fuel their anti-Japan position. The U.S. does not share their belief that the J-PM is visiting for any reason other than to pay respects to the dead and pray for peace.

"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 neighbors. The United States hopes that both Japan and its neighbors will find constructive ways to deal with sensitive issues from the past, to improve their relations, and to promote cooperation in advancing our shared goals of regional peace and stability. We take note of the Prime Minister’s expression of remorse for the past and his reaffirmation of Japan's commitment to peace." http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20131226-01.html

@OssanAntiAmerica.......you are quoting State Dept's Jen Psaki as your argument??????? WTF? Wishywashy statements are in every press release ever made by the Dept of State. They are meaningless. President Obama made a personal phone call to Abe telling him not to go. Flat out- DONT GO THERE. Obama was furious when he received a call only 30 minutes in advance that Abe was going to visit Tojo. The United States and all it's people are against worshiping Hitler and Tojo only because it may upset a few feelings? Dude, your side has lost ALL world opinion on the matter and you ignore that just as State ignores Bengazi.

President Obama made a personal phone call to Abe

I believe this is incorrect. Of the top of my head, I think it was Biden who made the call.

The Secretary of State answers directly to the President of the United States. Obama never called Abe regarding Yasukuni. .

Visits to Yasukuni are not meant for the international audience. If Abe stopped visiting, he would lose his national audience, and be out of a job.

Not visiting would be the morally correct thing to do, yes. But it would be political suicide.

@Crush ThemJUL. 28, 2014 - 11:39PM JST

Visits to Yasukuni are not meant for the international audience. If Abe stopped visiting, he would lose his national audience, and be out of a job . Not visiting would be the morally correct thing to do, yes. But it would be political suicide.

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I agree with your analysis, He will lose election in Yamaguchi-ken. A majority of Yamaguchi-ken people have some relatives enshrined in Yasukuni because of Boshin War.