politics

Abe tweets that he has visited Yasukuni Shrine

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Abe said on Twitter that he visited the Yasukuni Shrine “and reported to the souls of the war dead” that he'd resigned as prime minister.

The ghosts of war criminals will be happy their biggest fan is back!

12 ( +36 / -24 )

What's wrong with Japanese politicians? Can't he just visit the place and keep his mouth shut? Why do they always have to do/say stupid things and later apologize for it? This weekend the newspapers in Korea and China will be full of it and on Monday he will tweet an apology. They gotta learn to keep their mouth shut. Nobody cares about what you do in your private time

14 ( +34 / -20 )

Stay home, play with your dog. Times up old man.

16 ( +37 / -21 )

Why do people feel like their own countries are innocent of any kind of aggression? The West? China? Oh, please.

Let him visit Yasukuni if he wants to.

No one also cares about your opinion regarding the old man, as you said.

-11 ( +25 / -36 )

If any news After anyone's retirement, we don't need to be excited. Just take it as a Pandora's box.

14 ( +16 / -2 )

I'm one with Jack. For being the head for around 8 yrs must be something. We must give respect for that alone. Don't know much about Nihonggo but whenever I see him being grilled in the Parliament during session, it takes a lot of guts facing different people watching his every word and moves. He's now a private person and he's twitting on his own account and there are still bashers. Envious folks! Just because he can have what he wants while we are toiling and yet we can't have what he has? Enough folks!

-12 ( +21 / -33 )

Politically unnecessary, this is a personal matter, why provoke controversy, waking up the neighbours, by drawing attention to the years disputatious fakary sending gifts?.

2 ( +18 / -16 )

What an embarrassment this fool is, an now we can confirm, what most already knew, that he was lying whenever he spoke about WWII (especially when in the US!) about sex slaves etc. Little abe was all about trying to please his grandad who was basically a war criminal, makes you wonder how much Japan has learned from WWII, clearly no where near enough sadly!

7 ( +26 / -19 )

After Abe visited in 2013 Suga advised him not to go again. He took Suga's advice until now. Interesting that he went just days after handing over to Suga, who has pledged better relationships with Japan's neighbours. Trying to derail Suga already apparently. As far as I know, Suga has never visited Yasukuni. Does anyone know?

9 ( +21 / -12 )

The political equivalent of flipping someone off you have been arguing with as the subway doors close and the train is pulling out of the station.

11 ( +22 / -11 )

What an idiot. Couldn't he have just sent a cryptic tweet honoring the war dead? If they know he visits, then they'll know if he tweets too. Thats how absurd this all is.

7 ( +21 / -14 )

He's now a private person and he's twitting on his own account and there are still bashers.

@ trinklets - Get your facts right. Abe is a politician NOT a private citizen. While he is a publicly well-funded figure, his activities warrant public scrutiny.

15 ( +29 / -14 )

Abe is making life difficult for Suga right from the get-go.

13 ( +24 / -11 )

So he went after he resigned, as an individual. So what.

-15 ( +16 / -31 )

And you wonder why so many find Japanese politicians so untrustworthy.

11 ( +28 / -17 )

If you're going, just go. And close the door on your way out.

4 ( +20 / -16 )

Instead of posting on Twitter he should be getting his criminal cases in order for Moritomo,Kake,Sontaku and all of the rest.

20 ( +28 / -8 )

GWToday  04:59 pm JST

What an embarrassment this fool is, an now we can confirm, what most already knew, that he was lying whenever he spoke about WWII (especially when in the US!) about sex slaves etc.

Total nonsense. I watched Abe's entire address before both houses and received a standing ovation. Abe had full bipartisan US support. During his tenure he visited and laid a wreath at the Pearl Harbor Memorial, and attended a Hiroshima Memorial Ceremony together with a sitting POTUS. Abe had plenty of faults and failures like every politician but he did accomplish quite a lot. Haters are simply in denial.

-15 ( +19 / -34 )

It is Abe's right to pay respects to the War Dead in any manner he sees fit. What right does anyone have to pass judgement on what a private person does in his free time? If the Chinese Commies and Koreans have a cry over this, well tough luck to them.

Abe had plenty of faults and failures like every politician but he did accomplish quite a lot. Haters are simply in denial.

Really well argued Ossan. The haters just can't let it go that Abe-san ruled for a record-breaking time and left a huge legacy of achievements. Great to see Abe-san is back in better health, getting out and about!!

-14 ( +14 / -28 )

Abe has got his priorities *ssbackwards: he doubles down on Yasukuni while Covid doubles down on Japan. His over-long tenure outstayed its welcome and did nothing to better the lives of ordinary Japanese. As an anachronistic political dynast he has become a mere footnote to history and will be quickly forgotten.

7 ( +16 / -9 )

Going to the shrine directly to notify ancestral spirits of your resignation......Red Tape Hotline 110!

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Japan is sorry for their war crimes? Yeah right...

8 ( +18 / -10 )

What people don't get is that although Abe is officially 'retired,' obviously he intends to continue as a behind-the-scenes fixer as his grandfather was, so tweeting about this is a calculated move meant to solidify his standing with his right-wing buddies and yakuza friends.

14 ( +20 / -6 )

Not the most diplomatic move in the first place and to then rub it in the face of those he is well aware will find it insulting is to say the least egregious.

It may play well with his right wing constituents but as he no longer needs to stay in power, and it is unlikely he would be unseated in his constituency it merely comes across as childish provocation

7 ( +15 / -8 )

skotmanforyouToday  04:17 pm JST

What's wrong with Japanese politicians? Can't he just visit the place and keep his mouth shut?

Of course not. The old nazi yokels in Yamaguchi who supply him with votes and political donations want to see some kind of return on their investment.

Fighto!Today  06:28 pm JST

Abe-san ... left a huge legacy of achievements.

Such as? Oh, that's right - you don't actually know, do you.

11 ( +22 / -11 )

An official visit to Yasukuni was one of his campaign pledges. But he never had the guts to do that during his tenure.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

... and Suga thinks he'll need Abe's help with diplomacy and foreign policy?

9 ( +13 / -4 )

Abe said on Twitter that he visited the shrine "and reported to the souls of the war dead" that he'd resigned as prime minister. 

Abe is reporting to dead people ? It doesn't sound scientifically correct.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

The man just won't go away.

7 ( +13 / -6 )

It's a visit to honor the war dead. The war dead fought bravely for their country, although as many know today, many also did reprehensible things. Here's a reality check: war is hell, and otherwise good people do awful things. It's easy for armchair quarterbacks to criticize those in whose shoes they've never walked. That's a luxury of post-war folks. Just a reminder that most were conscripts.

-12 ( +8 / -20 )

Fighto!Today  06:28 pm JST

Really well argued Ossan. 

There’s no argument there at all. It’s simply an opinion. Try and differentiate the two.

7 ( +12 / -5 )

It might be good for him to spend more time there. There could be some relief for him there now that he is free to be himself first and not the PM first.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

He should have resigned after the first tummy ache.

Now he’s ‘resigned’ but the political machinations are obvious to all but the most oblivious.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Akie:

Abe said on Twitter that he visited the shrine "and reported to the souls of the war dead" that he'd resigned as prime minister. Abe is reporting to dead people ? It doesn't sound scientifically correct.

It's not a science. It's called a "religion", which no longer exists in your country.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

He does looks better now that the pressure on him is pass over to Suga. Him paying respect to the dead as a final farewell for resigning is not that bad. He did at least kept restraint all these years. And seems like China didn't dare to say anything provoking this time and so is Korea which only express regret and concern. Usually they would be screaming right now with insults and filing complaints. They would probably look through the fingers considering Abe merely wanted to report to the dead for his resignation.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Would be nice once in a while for things to NOT be reported, like THIS!

3 ( +7 / -4 )

“Shinzo Abe said he has visited a shrine viewed by China and both Koreas as a symbol of wartime aggression.”

Not only neighbouring countries are watching these islands.

Is it religion or politics? anyway

Finding your place in the league of nations can be done not by economics only and value changes as time goes by.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

socrateos said "It's not a science. It's called a "religion", which no longer exists in your country."

Religion of what ?

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

JandworldToday  08:57 pm JST

“Shinzo Abe said he has visited a shrine viewed by China and both Koreas as a symbol of wartime aggression.”

Not only neighbouring countries are watching these islands.

All the other nations are watching if Japan will continue to move towards standing up to the Chinese dictatorship along with all other countries.

Only China and Koreas use WWII history as a political tool. All WWII Allied nations as well as the Asian nations Imperial Japan invaded have no problem with Yasukuni.

-5 ( +8 / -13 )

How pathetic. A desperate attempt to not be forgotten...

9 ( +11 / -2 )

the mindset of the Meiji era, wooh

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Suga: God damn it, Abe!! Why do you keep making my jobs much harder?!

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Akie:

socrateos said "It's not a science. It's called a "religion", which no longer exists in your country."

Religion of what ?

It's a type of ancestor worship.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

China without a market to export its product n SK without materials to assemble is causing the silence

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Must be a relief to him he can finally beg the war criminals' forgiveness in person.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Good for him.

Any citizen of a nation has the right to honor their wartime dead. Honoring war dead doesn't automatically equate to honoring war criminals. After all, when the citizens of your country honor war dead, does that mean it honors those who committed atrocities also?

Stop with the double standards and hypocrisy.

-15 ( +2 / -17 )

Honoring war dead doesn't automatically equate to honoring war criminals.

It most certainly is when the names of war criminals are on the list you're worshiping.

It's a list of war criminals, take those names off the list, then it's honourable. With them on, it's a travesty. But you knew that and you don't care

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Go venerate your war criminal buddies somewhere else. Split the list up. If it's not a problem then it's not a problem to split the list up and save Japan from the right wing nutters. But they can't. Those of family of war criminals like Abe need to feel like they are getting away with it. Like the case in most countries where right wingers burden society

8 ( +9 / -1 )

What's the difference between a war criminal and a war hero? Not actions. Not numbers killed. Not ideology. Not cruelty. Not wantonness. Hint... it has something to do with the winning side.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Abe surely is sending childish, passive aggressive political message by tweeting. Not so wise man.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Abe simply wanted to demonstrate that Japanese people overestimated his intelligence. He knows well that he is an ...

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Have you read the part where he stayed away from any visits for the past 7 years? Apparently not.

His no longer in office, he has a right to pay his respects to the war dead just like all the other nations on Earth including Germany. Only in weak Japan, everything we do is being judged in a bias way.

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

"Abe's resignation due to health issue" has been doubted from part of citizen.

because medical certificate is nowhere. besides, Abe often enjoys gorgeous dinner or wine despite ”large intestine inflammation”.

Present Japanese society is dominated by atmosphere that should not doubt Abe, Japan's mainstream media are not yet able to demand to submit medical certificate to former prime minister.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

ReasonandWisdomNipponToday  03:25 am JST

His no longer in office...

Has he resigned from the Diet as well?

he has a right to pay his respects to the war dead just like all the other nations on Earth including Germany.

If he goes there when he's not supposed to be working he can do as he pleases. However it's his private business and he should keep it private, or else it just looks like a big, fake, politically-motivated show of piety that insults the war dead.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

May be his ancestors are in there though it probably still will not mean he will definitely fully recover from current ill. Probably a soothing phycological seeking. Still I think he can explain more about SakuraMi no Kai and case relating to Moritomo. Why create so much doubts.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

finally freedom of speech and freedom of visit. happy for him.

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

lots of people shared their privacy on line, i don't see why he can't. if we shared our comments on line which is part of our thought. why can't he do the same?

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Simon's point is correct. I haven't heard that he still isn't a Diet member. (He may no longer be Prime Minister but is still the elected representative of a particular legislative district.) So if he visited while a sitting Diet member of the ruling party, it is far more important than any old private individual visiting it.

But visiting the place is not the issue. I visited there several decades ago. However, I didn't leave any donation for the priests to burn incense to the souls of the dead, or clap my hands in obeisance to the spirits to honor them. It just seems when LDP politicians visit there, they also take actions that outwardly say "I honor and revere these people" full well knowing these include war criminals.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

After resigning he shows his true Nippon Kaige colours.

What a coward!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

His visit shows his distain for the the many honorable dead enshrined there until Yasukuni was polluted by the enshrinement of war criminals excused by right wing deniers.

no Emperor has visited since

3 ( +3 / -0 )

It appears yet another gutless barbarian occupies the Japanese Prime Minister's seat. How many more years of this crap does the world have to put up with? And people here wonder why so many still do not fully trust Japan or consider them truly repentant for the horrors they inflicted on the world within living memory of some of Japan's neighbors. Asia Pacific leaders such as the US, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, New Zealand and Indonesia all need to jointly and individually call out the Japanese in public statements and the Japanese government either denounce the shrine or remove the known war criminals from it. The Japanese need to hear this loud, clear, and often.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Even better the nations who fought Japan should agree to apply permanent bans on visits by Japanese politicians and officials known to visit Yasukuni. Give them all warning but state clearly that henceforth one more visit there and you will never again set foot in our nation (or will be deported upon arrival if you try) and any money or property you might have here will be liquidated and the proceeds given to veterans organizations in the respective nations in which the property lies.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Would this ban apply to all of the foreigners in Japan who have visited Yaskuni for decade after decade to see what all the fuss was about? Half the people I saw when I went there were foreigners and even US military guys sightseeing.

How about the families of the deceased military members interred there. Ban them from going overseas or should they be forced to never visit the remains of their family?

And what about the US pilots crew who firebombed the civilian in Tokyo and Yokohama? Japan should never allow them or their relatives to visit.

Why are you here if you hate Japan so much?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Sal AffistSep. 20  05:27 pm JST

It just seems when LDP politicians visit there, they also take actions that outwardly say "I honor and revere these people" full well knowing these include war criminals.

But you see, they've found a way to make that seem justifiable. According to Abe himself, Japanese law has no concept of war crimes or war criminals and in any case the priests at Yasukuni say that the souls enshrined there are part of a collective with all sins wiped away, so LDP politicians can say to their gullible constituents that there's nothing wrong with it at all. Except of course, they're not really there to honour and revere anyone but they would never admit to that.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Peter NeilToday  04:08 am JST

Would this ban apply to all of the foreigners in Japan who have visited Yaskuni for decade after decade to see what all the fuss was about?

Don't think so, no....

Desert TortoiseToday  03:17 am JST

... apply permanent bans on visits by Japanese politicians and officials known to visit Yasukuni

No one else was mentioned.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

P. SmithToday  07:58 pm JST

Tell me again why countries raped by Japan in WWII shouldn’t be enraged that the grandson, and longest serving prime minister of Japan, of a man arrested as a Class A war criminal and known as the Showa Monster visited a shrine the defies war criminals.

If you like. The apologists and Abe sycophants will tell you that every country has the right to honour its war dead any way it chooses, never mind that Japan does actually have public ceremonies for that purpose so it's not really a matter of what individual politicians do. There are other arguments but they're even more feeble.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Would this ban apply to all of the foreigners in Japan who have visited Yaskuni for decade after decade to see what all the fuss was about? Half the people I saw when I went there were foreigners and even US military guys sightseeing.

How about the families of the deceased military members interred there. Ban them from going overseas or should they be forced to never visit the remains of their family?

And what about the US pilots crew who firebombed the civilian in Tokyo and Yokohama? Japan should never allow them or their relatives to visit.

Why are you here if you hate Japan so much?

My ban idea would only apply to Japanese officials, both elected and appointed. No one else.

Japan is a different nation that it was in WWII but I had both parents and all but two uncles in that war, one of whom was permanently disabled courtesy of the IJA. The war criminals from that war must not be worshiped or honored in any way and those who do so in an official capacity must be shunned as pariahs.

My mother was part of the Manhattan Project so you can guess my opinion of the use of atomic bombs. Japan had it coming and you will get no apologies from anyone in our family. We were at war, I had family in the field fighting and that bomb ended their suffering. Too bad if some well fed person with no connection 75 years later gets squimish about it. Try and tell me the deaths of the crews on the ships the Japanese attacked and often sank in the Pacific were any less grisley or that the rape of Nanjing was somehow more merciful than what the Allies dealt Japan to end that war.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Desert TortoiseSep. 21  09:47 pm JST

The war criminals from that war must not be worshiped or honored in any way and those who do so in an official capacity must be shunned as pariahs.

The politicians don't go in an official capacity, strictly speaking, as the Constitution of Japan does forbid elected officials participating in religious activities although it does guarantee everyone freedom of expression and religious belief. So they go as private citizens but they get all dressed up in their best formal togs, get together with other Diet members and go in big cars and make sure they get plenty of media attention, so to all intents and purposes it's no different from official visits.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Tell me again why countries raped by Japan in WWII shouldn’t be enraged that the grandson, and longest serving prime minister of Japan, of a man arrested as a Class A war criminal and known as the Showa Monster visited a shrine the defies war criminals.

Because the war was over 75 years ago and neither Abe, nor his father, have been party to any war by Japan. Japan SDF has not killed anyone in 75 years.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Peter NeilToday  07:34 pm JST

Because the war was over 75 years ago and neither Abe, nor his father, have been party to any war by Japan. Japan SDF has not killed anyone in 75 years.

Very commendable, except that Abe, his forebears and like-minded LDP politicians have been very keen to free Japan of its constitutional restraints, get out there with the Americans (not personally, of course - that's what the peasants are for) and start putting some stick about.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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