Abe won't visit Yasukuni Shrine on Aug 15, but will send offering: media

only two have made a major fuss about Japanese officials going to Yasukuni, Korea and communist China. In other words, 194 other countries don't seem the least bit bothered.

Aside from Yasukuni, they would still be in full agreement that Imperial Japan caused many war crimes, just like Nazi Germany.

More countries: Mongolia, Turkey, Greece, Albania, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Austria, ...

About a decade ago I was at the shrine on August 15th, a couple days before my birthday. It was hot out, lots of people, some military ware, pomp but historical, and religious observations. I went to the front altar and paid my respects. I knew the act would be deemed offensive by communists in mainland china and that in itself was so odd, coming from an ideology that is responsible for untold millions of lives taken through violence, depravity and starvation. Warped. I said a prayer for the deceased, but then why would an atheistic communist be upset about prayer? To some deity or spiritual realm that they say does not exist. Well. I will return and be respectful. Honor thy ancestors.

hold on to the past is useless. visit the shrine before making comments, not only war criminals are in the shrine. two comments more to the sense from "OssanAmerica" & " Just a user".

PM Abe must be having bad dreams. The Dead will tell you what for in your dreams. If so, good because he has utterly destroyed Japan for many people including the People of Japan.

Ug... Yasukuni might be palatable for decent human being if they cleansed that place of all the fascist, revisionist, war glorifying crap. Japan is morally regressing rather than moving forward.

sf2kAug. 13, 2016 - 12:34AM JST "Abe plans to send a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine to mark the anniversary Same thing as visiting. Is Japan completely morally bankrupt at this point?

Sorry, but a country that not only refuses to recognize or respect globally accepted international law but goes as far as to attack and berate the legal system itself is the one that is morally bankrupt. Guess they threw that out during the cultural revolution as well.

The leaders around the world should follow that example. The US president, for example, can stop visiting Arlington National Cemetary (undoubtedly there are some war criminals buried there amongst the lot) and only send offering (fruit basket?).

Inada has to go visit the Yasukuni shrine so that SHE will take the blame for the backlash, and then SHE will be replaced with a HE.

Abe plans to send a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine to mark the anniversary

Same thing as visiting. Is Japan completely morally bankrupt at this point?

smithinjapanAUG. 12, 2016 - 06:06PM JST Sorry, but it's all just lip service if he's still donating to the shrine, and I've no doubt he'll still visit the monument dedicated specifically to war criminals, whom he doesn't think were such.

Damned if he goes, damned if he don't - some people just love to whine no matter what

OssanAmericaAUG. 12, 2016 - 11:22PM JST WTF cares about soldiers long dead in past wars. Asia is teetering on the border of a war right now. And that possibility is being created solely by China, a totalitarian dictatorship drunk on natioalism which neither recognizes nor respects international law or world opinion. And whining about "yasukuni vists" is a Chinese political tool to cloud what they are doing. Even South Korea has woken up to this reality. Not one WWII Class-A war criminal is a threat to peace today - they're all dead and gone. Xi Jingping is alive and well right now and in charge of the Chinese PLA.

Totally agree. Finally some sensible comments.

War criminals? It's just defined by winners in War who decide everything, not to mention, war criminals.

Perhaps you shud ask the surviving family members of the 20-30MILLION the ija killed to get an idea of why they ARE war criminals, just a thought

WTF cares about soldiers long dead in past wars. Asia is teetering on the border of a war right now. And that possibility is being created solely by China, a totalitarian dictatorship drunk on natioalism which neither recognizes nor respects international law or world opinion. And whining about "yasukuni vists" is a Chinese political tool to cloud what they are doing. Even South Korea has woken up to this reality. Not one WWII Class-A war criminal is a threat to peace today - they're all dead and gone. Xi Jingping is alive and well right now and in charge of the Chinese PLA.

It's just defined by winners in War who decide everything, not to mention, war criminals

Um no, stop it, no!!

Heres a good read about the shrine and why it has become a political tool

http://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a02404/

if you look at this case, they are considered "war criminals by (almost) any country in the world regardless.

Where did you find your list? Some of the countries you cite did not exist at the time of the trials. Of the currently recognized 196 "countries on this planet," only two have made a major fuss about Japanese officials going to Yasukuni, Korea and communist China. In other words, 194 other countries don't seem the least bit bothered.

Do you have a counter argument to that of the American academic Richard Minear, Victor's Justice: Tokyo War Crimes Trial (Princeton University Press, 1971)?

http://press.princeton.edu/titles/1573.html

War criminals? It's just defined by winners in War who decide everything, not to mention, war criminals.

While I would agree that the "winners" are able to write more, if you look at this case, they are considered "war criminals by (almost) any country in the world regardless. That list includes: Germany, Italy, Hungary, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, France...in addition to Russia, both Koreas, China (PRoC), Taiwan, the UK, Australia, the USA, Canada, New Zealand and 100+ other countries on this planet.

and I've no doubt he'll still visit the monument dedicated specifically to war criminals

War criminals? It's just defined by winners in War who decide everything, not to mention, war criminals.

Don't you just use cheap term.

My old friend lost his father in the WW II. He was conscripted and died leaving his young wife and a baby. His mother did not remarry and brought up her son by herself. He was my classmate. He and his mother did not go to Yasukuni. He even hated to go. At the time I was a child, there were many unhappy families who lost their father in the war.

Sorry, but it's all just lip service if he's still donating to the shrine, and I've no doubt he'll still visit the monument dedicated specifically to war criminals, whom he doesn't think were such.

Better that he doesn't go and making the donation is probably his minimum payoff to the rest of his revisionist pals. Inada probably will go, creating the maximum negative sentiment and rendering herself an ineffective representative of the government in international discussions.