90 Japanese lawmakers visit Yasukuni Shrine

oh geez here we go again ( … )

"We don't know why we do it, we just do it. It's a tradition."

How many of the lawmakers who visited Yasukuni are also connected to the Unification church? My guess is over 90%.

By ALL means visit the shrine. But, do NOT publize the visit. And there will be NO problem.

Don't they ever get bored of behaving like stubborn spoilt children?

The group, mainly composed of conservative lawmakers, has routinely visited the Shinto shrine on the occasion of its biannual festivals in the spring and fall as well as the anniversary of the end of World War II on Aug 15.

In the Venn Diagram of these conservative "lawmakers" I reckon there is a lot of overlap between "accepted money from the Unification Church" and "honoring the spirits of the Japanese war dead".

Oh the irony, but their only god they are serving is money.

Why the masks? They are OUTDOORS. Please lead the nation out of this dystopian masking mania.

out of his deep belief war should never be repeated

Which is why we need to change the constitution, a stronger military and keep rewriting history so we can't learn from it. Oh, and worship those who didn't start a war.

and what for?for excursion?just to provoke neighbours again?

can you imagine same article and photo of german chnacellor going to visit nazi cemetery?

awful feeling and very-disrectpectful to victims of japanese killings in WW2!

I have never heard the stories that Yasukuni has been pushing spiritual sales or inducing people to become followers

All 90 of the these lawmakers are funded by the "Moonies". They went to Yasukuni to pray that the public forgives them for being owned by a Korean religious organization.

Supporting Shinzo's legacy and his multiple memorials are not working to distract the public from their corruption.

They are now going to Defcon 4! Public support for Japanese war criminals in a show of solidarity is their next play. I look forward to hearing the ridiculous nationalistic rhetoric!

I wonder if they will start shaving their heads to show loyalty. For some, it is a simple matter of peeling their toupees off.

Anything to distract from their absolute failure on the economy. I suspect next Kishida will visit Ms. Yokota and vow to solve the abduction issue, too. Anyway, when China starts sending subs through Japanese waters after this, and Korea shuts down talks, hope these clowns are proud of their stunt (but then, I guess they also need to try and justify the upcoming record defense spending).

It is amusing, though, how they say "It's a personal thing! I am doing it in my own beliefs", etc., but then call up the media for the photo op., sign in under their official title, etc.

More cult worship!

I am respectful of Shinto shrine culture.

I sometime, with neighbours walk our dogs, they explain the shrines and there meaning. Some up to 1,000-years old.

What worries me about these politicians, is where this culture provokes the political necessity for the above public displays ends, and the accompanying need for the association with a cult like the Moonies begins.

Is Shinto a religion?

Some say yes.

Some say no.

Because ritual rather than belief is at the heart of Shinto, Japanese people don't usually think of Shinto specifically as a religion - it's simply an aspect of Japanese life. This has enabled Shinto to coexist happily with Buddhism for centuries.

Emperor Hirohito, in whose name Japanese soldiers fought the war, visited Yasukuni eight times between the conflict's end and 1975. Historians say he stopped due to displeasure over the enshrined convicted wartime leaders.

Stoking the fires of hate again.

Let's goo. Never let anyone tell you what to do in your own country.

Well that should upset the neighbours, this childish, wilful and blindly arrogant behaviour is like a teenager turning the music up full volume to annoy next door. It is of no benefit to the country and people they are purportedly elected to serve, very much the opposite.

It would be interesting if a real news organisation carried out some proper research to see if there is any real overlap between these self opinionated stuffed shirts and the Moonies?

Glad to see them take a stand, enough is enough of China and the Koreas dictating who and when can visit the shrine.

Who cares? Not I. As this too will pass in time as the elders fade away and the new generations take over and take Japan to the next level of humanity and logical reasoning,

Respect the elders but do not follow the past, build the Great Future the whole world needs and spread the goodness world wide, peacefully of course!

Their Shrine, their Dead, their Nation, their history, and all outsiders can take a hike.

A cross-party group of around 90 Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday visited the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo for its fall festival, a move expected to irritate some Asian neighbors who view it as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

I literally laugh at idea of angry beta-male South Korean nationalists and Chinese communists seething and slamming their greasy fingers into their keyboards. Just as I do with "Japan First-ers" like that clown Makoto Sakurai.

Japan already got 2 Strike against them,which country will deliver the third strike

@Mark

'Their Shrine, their Dead, their Nation, their history, and all outsiders can take a hike.'

You forgot to add '... and their 16 war criminals'

Shinto is as Buddhist as I am Jewish, never sniped! From someone who actually studied and follows Buddhism.

Many of these old lawmakers will be dead in a few years. Then 全国戦没者追悼式, Zenkoku Senbotsusha Tsuitōshiwill will become Japans way of commemorating the genuine, brave fallen.

Going to pro-Japan ultranationalist events and supporting ultranationalist racists. Receive money and votes from Korean cultists.

Classic LDP!!

I wonder why people comment here? - I wonder why I am - people have their minds made up - some people post rational, instructive posts - greatly appreciated - I learn from them - some people post loathing rants - nothing to be learned there...

case in point:

Name one thing thats 100% original Japanese ?

Not one - but two massive devastations, human lives destroyed, the only people who have ever been victims of atomic bombs -

I don't cast judgement on it - likely at that time - the powers that were - rationalized that as best they could - and likely saved millions of lives...

I do not know why you hate the Japanese or Japan - perhaps the horrors of the last war -

Cannot the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki assuage your hatred?

Perhaps soon you will have to grieve the injustice of the CCP on the democracy of Taiwan

Folks here need to learn to read articles before making themselves look like fools with their comments. Seems like some are just fishing for the post to be liked, and that is childish at best.

It would be no big deal, and more than likely the folks who attended NOT JUST FROM THE LDP, and included members of the OPPOSITION PARTY, meaning against Abe's legacy and the LDP, if there was zero media coverage.

Stop the media coverage, and fewer and fewer will attend. They are just doing it for attention.

Oh and the ritual offering, I doubt they sent kabijin, and sent "real" money!

Great to see a bunch of old masked Moonies' worshipping at a Shinto shrine, they like the hedge their bets.

Great to see a bunch of old masked Moonies' worshipping at a Shinto shrine, they like the hedge their bets.

hit the nail on the head!

Oh look. Useless lemmings.

Aren't they supposed to be too busy stealing public funds to be marching around some tourist spot on a Tuesday?

Oh look. Useless lemmings.

see my previous comment

LOL! Leftists used to play up this matter while rightists would often refute every country pays respect to those who died for the country and mass media shouldn't broadcast this matter. Now leftists have begun to say mass media shouldn't broadcast this matter. Good tendency!

They might as well all wear "VOTE FOR ME" badges.

MarkOct. 18  08:17 pm JST

Their Shrine, their Dead, their Nation, their history...

Whatever.

Their Constitution, their separation of religion and politics.