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Cabinet minister visits Yasukuni shrine

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How is this news? (except for solely Japan Today obviously!)

0 ( +7 / -7 )

Well done... You've done your ancestors proud and shown everbody that you have done so... But one wonders if such a public display of respect for one's ancestors can be genuine and heartfelt, if one goes with the knowledge that the media attention it will receive is tantamount to shouting it from the rooftops. Where is the dignity and sincerity in that?

0 ( +7 / -8 )

Class A” war criminals by the U.S.-led allied powers and executed after World War II.

Now that you have visited the place and learned something why dont you have it taught in the schools-the truth, especially what brought on the delivery of fat man and little boy. No No No that too much close to the truth, and would crack the egg shell of US trade, just stir up nationalism and stir up other sentiments...but remember this when you need help for a major earthquake from who your countrymen call allies.

-1 ( +9 / -10 )

Idiot.

11 ( +17 / -7 )

I'll get a lot of thumbs down for this but...enough about the d@mn shrine visits already. They want the attention, and that's what the press is giving them.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

It's safe to say Japan and China and Korea will never be friends, just like Israel and Iran, the US and Russia and so on and so on...

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Class A war criminals? Hey, lets not forget the class B's and class C's who were directly responsible for mass murders of civilians in the most horrific ways imaginable. And lets us also not forget that Yasukuni inducted their souls in secret in the 70s because previous priests knew darn well they were evil men who had no place there. And last, let us not forget both the current and former emperor will not go there, even though those fascists supposedly fought in his name.

It is just outrageous that a serving government member would go there. Can't they go to an actual war cemetery that houses no war criminals? You know, a place they could honor men who are not documented as having done evil land shamed this country?

11 ( +15 / -5 )

Not sure why people are concerned with the exploits of a Japanese politician. Japan is becoming increasingly irrelevant on the international stage. Before voicing concerns regarding possible repercussions from pptential allies, keep in mind that Japan has many trading partners and a dirth of allies.

-4 ( +3 / -6 )

To understand why the Japanese pay their respects as the Yasukuni Shrine, you should read this published op-ed article: http://bit.ly/1omaNxI

-5 ( +5 / -10 )

Instead of these ministers going in a group and upsetting everyone once, they are now going individually and upsetting everyone once a week, and keeping it on everyone's event horizon. Not exactly good politics..

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Bad timing. South korea is too busy with the ship disaster

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

“It is natural for a Japanese to express his sincere condolences and pray for the souls of those who sacrificed their lives for the country.”........Are these six (Wiki), amongst those who sacrificed their lives for Japan Keiji Furuya, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, do they inspire in you a sense of honour?

Hideki Tōjō - As Prime Minister, he was directly responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor, which initiated war between Japan and the United States.

Seishirō Itagaki - Taken into custody and charged with war crimes, specifically in connection with the Japanese seizure of Manchuria.

Heitarō Kimura - Cited his role in planning the strategy for the war in China and Southeast Asia, and condemned him for laxity in preventing atrocities against prisoners in Burma.

Kenji Doihara - Under his supervision the Japanese secret service soon turned Machukuo into a vast criminal enterprise where rape, child molestation, sexual humiliation, sadism, assault and murder became institutionalized means of terrorizing and controlling Manchuria's Chinese and Russian population. Robbery by soldiers and gendarmes, arbitrary confiscation of property and unabashed extortion became commonplace. Underground brothels, opium dens, gambling houses and narcotics shops run by Japanese gendarmes competed with the state monopoly syndicate of opium.

Akira Mutō - He was accused of having conducted a campaign of slaughter, torture and other atrocities against the Filipino civilian population, prisoners of war and civilian internees,[4] and by ordering guerrilla containment.

Kōki Hirota - waging wars of aggression, and war or wars in violation of international law, waging unprovoked war against the Republic of China, disregard for duty to prevent breaches of the laws of war.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Boring,,,,,,,,,,,, nothing better to report than one more from the troop of Shinzo Abe monkeys going to the public toilet?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The priests at yasukuni shrine (no I don't capitalize it) forever and irrevocably shamed yasukuni shrine by including memorial sticks for the war criminals. The shrine is for people who died in battle for the country. The war criminals did not die in battle. They had a pleasant and comfortable life while sending young Japanese to die for their megalomaniacle vision.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

This is a perfect example of why no one takes Japan seriously these days, or can truly understand their intentions. Just yesterday, this was the headline in JT:

Abe says China vital partner despite territorial disputes.

So out of one side of their mouth, they China is a "vital partner", while out of the other side the minister visits Yasakuni.

And that is why it is news CGB-Spender.

5 ( +10 / -6 )

So basically this idiot is saying its his obligation and official duty to visit the shrine as a part of his job. I think the Japanese government is asking for a fight they cant finish and riding the US back for military support. It just so happen that this guy decides to take a visit just before Obama visits. What ashame what are these idiots in power there thinking?

3 ( +4 / -2 )

It is just outrageous that a serving government member would go there

No. What is outrageous is your attempt to deny the man his rights to freedom of religion just because you don't like (or understand) his religion.

Instead of these ministers going in a group and upsetting everyone once, they are now going individually and upsetting everyone once a week, and keeping it on everyone's event horizon.

Going individually, every week, is an excellent idea. People will get tired of complaining if visits to the shrine happen more frequently. And even if the die hard complainers don't tire of repeating the same nonsense every week, the rest of the world will certainly tire of hearing their complaints and move on to talk about something more worthwhile.

-6 ( +4 / -9 )

Honoring "class A war criminals" is not what you want to do if a country wants to show the world how advanced they are morally and spiritually. Why Japan is not learning more from Germany about this subject puzzles me.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Since he is a regular visitor to the shrine, it's no big news or shocking about his visits.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

If his visit is truly a private matter the. Why did he announce to the world that he had visited the shrine? He visited the shrine not for private matters but for political gains with the hard core radical right wingers who are destroying Japan's image.

If you visit the shrine and if truly a private matter than keep it private. Don't announce to the news outlets that you have visited the shrine.

8 ( +9 / -2 )

Abe is widely expected to refrain from visiting the shrine during its spring festival ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to Tokyo from Wednesday to Friday.

perhaps his ministers are visiting on his behalf?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Three comments on this Yasukuni Shrine issue from a person who loves Japan dearly.

1.) Furuya and people who visit the shrine appear to be short-sighted beyond belief. Why, just when Japan seems to be digging itself out of decades of stagnation, would these people do things to irritate two of their largest trading partners is beyond me. And why would Japan want to further alienate the US? Whatever you make think of the US, it is clear that Japan is banking on unconditional support from the west which may be one of the reasons Japanese pols are acting so insanely.

2.) The shrine is an embarrassment and with the exception of posters on this board I have never met a Japanese person who didn't want to see it replaced and/or destroyed.

But having said that, one message to China and Korea.

3.) China, you have air that cannot be breathed, a corrupt government that enriches a few by enslaving and censoring the majority of your citizens and your once red hot economy is beginning to look a lot like a bubble and a mirage and none of these problems can be traced to the fools in Japan visiting a stupid shrine. As for Korea, you have your brightest days ahead of you; you are surpassing Japan both in pop culture/popularity and in technology. But every time you complain about the shrine visits you seem like a country mired in the past. The next time someone sticks a microphone in your face and asks you about the one-half of one percent of Japan who likes Yasukuni, trying saying something along these lines, "It is a shame that certain Japanese refuse to acknowledge history but we Koreans are looking at a bright future and will keep our eyes on that goal."

6 ( +5 / -0 )

Furuya, who has regularly visited Yasukuni during its annual spring and autumn festivals and the Aug 15 anniversary of Japan’s surrender

So I don't see that China and Korea can get too bent out of shape about this, if he's a frequent visitor. The article doesn't specify how long Furuya-san has been visiting Yasukuni, but I should think that China and Korea will get the picture by now, at least in this case. Well, I would think that, but both of these countries are constantly getting bent out of shape by what Japan and its people do. Everyone only focuses on the worst in other people. It's a fundemental flaw in humanity. Unfortunately, I'm guilty of that as well. But being guilty of the flaw does not mean I'm blind to it. Humans will almost always jump to the worst conclusion in any given situation. When a child goes missing, people assume that they have been kidnapped and will not be discovered alive. When a passenger jet falls out of contact with flight control, people assume it has been hijacked by terrorists. And, when a politician visits a controversial shrine, people immediately jump to the conclusion that it is done with malicious intent. Of course, Yasukuni wouldn't be controversial if China and South Korea weren't making such a big deal out of trying to stigmatise the shrine and vilify the visitors. In the end, it's not the Japanese politicians who make this a news story, it's everyone else who gets outraged by the event.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

"Keiji Furuya, chairman of Japan's National Public Safety Commission"

public safety? more like public detriment...

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I don't think the Minister was announcing to the world that he went to the shrine. Just maybe there's a media rep assigned to that shrine just to snoop on the politicians who paid respect to the dead enshrined there.Korea and China shld be very busy now looking and burying their deads in recent 2 accidents to worry about what concerns Jpoliticians.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I'd say the bigger problem is the Yushukan Museum located adjacent to Yasukuni Shrine. If you've never been, basically it's something like this--Imagine if a bunch of parochial, ignorant, jingoistic, chest-thumping employees of Rupert Murdoch at Fox News were allowed money and resources to construct an American War Museum adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. Think of what a joke such a place would be--mawkish, sentimental tributes to America's armed forces and lengthy explanations of how American soldiers and military planners did no wrong in Vietnam or the Philippines or Iraq or at Wounded Knee and were just trying to spread freedom and democracy everywhere. That's basically what the Yushukan is like, Japanese style.

You can't get rid of Yasukuni Shrine, I suppose, but is the Yushukan necessary?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Another so called ‘private’ visit to Yasukuni Shrine illustrates the numerous Japanese geopolitical shortsightednees which are plaguing Japan’s future. As a direct result, the Chinese navy commander abruptly canceled a pre-scheduled meeting with Japanese Navy counterpart at a regional naval symposium in China.

Obama’s trip to Japan is likely to include a visit to a Japanese Shrine, Meiji shrine. I think that Washington would like to send a clear message to its long-term ally: If Japan's politicians really want to do self-reflection and give peace prayers there are plenty of places available for these purposes, and without stiring controversy.

-1 ( +3 / -3 )

These people will never learn, and never understand. Yet another visit to the infamous Shrine of Hate. Despicable.

-1 ( +2 / -2 )

If the guy wants to visit in an unofficial capacity and for personal and private reasons, fine, but I hardly seeing announcing it to the public via the media, in his official capacity, as anything 'private'.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Since Yasukuni holds no remains it can't be compared to Arlington, diff is the shrine privately owned and administered(right-wing).

I think it is more like the Vietnam Memorial Wall, at least that was its original intended purpose.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I can't fine anything about this in the Chinese English press. They have ignored it. Also, nothing about Abe's gift. Anyone read Chinese?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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