Japan economy minister visits Yasukuni shrine ahead of autumn festival

If every Japanese politician visited Yasukuni on a monthly basis after about 6 months all those countries that complain about the visits would just give up. And once the stop complaining Japanese politicians would probably stop going because it would serve no purpose.

He pays tribute to convicted war criminals along with the war dead.

he could have spent that time doing something about collapsing JP economy

"I prayed for the spirits of those who died in war to rest in peace, with the country and families in mind,

I prayed for Japanese economy growth and salary increase that so far didn't happen.

"I prayed for the spirits of those who died in war to rest in peace, with the country and families in mind," the economy, trade and industry minister said.

Maybe he can summon those spirits of the dead, including the war criminals, to revive the moribund economy for the people of Japan.

Or more likely as economy minister he is satisfied like those war time oligarchs with the inequalities and desperation his policies produce.

Who prays to war criminals?

If he thinks they weren’t war criminals then go to the UN and try to officially change the war history.

He cannot because they WERE war criminals!

People visit memorials for those who fought for their country everywhere in the world. Get over it already.

The problem is not if these politicians visit the shrine,the problem is that Japan in many ways still lives in the past,look at all the Japan Today and major Japanese sites full of articles about world war 2,the past.

Sadly these old boys care only about to restore the honour of the past rather than do something concrete for their struggling nation and their citizens.

The entitled one visits Yasukuni while his own country crashes and burns regarding the economy.

These people have no idea what is going on.

Used to feel sorry for the local populace until I realized their apathy and inertia enabled the silver-spooned to walk all over them.

If you can't help yourself.....then who can?

Why is he doing this on the job and with security. Let him do it in off hours and without our tax payer security.

Yet another small erosion - to add to all the others - of those much-touted apologies to its neighbours the Japan cheer-squad trots out periodically.

Nishimura told reporters he made a ritual offering, paid for out of his own pocket.

Did he REALLY have to say that?

Paid out of his own pocket?

What does he want? A cookie? A pat on his back? Sympathy?

No one cares. That money (out of his own pocket) was probably embezzled tax money anyways.

Look, if you're gonna visit the shrine, then go. No need to announce it to everyone.

Even though you should be doing something about the economy, instead of taking little field trips on work hours.

The next generation need to be afforded the means to move on. without being saddled with excess historic baggage.

I have never visited the Yasukuni Shrine or the Yushukan War Memorial Museum.

I also solemnly feel I do not need or require to pursue my Catholic faith attending mass in a Church.

I refrain from taking communion due to the scandals.

Voters must decide where loyalties should rest at the ballot box.

Yasutoshi Nishimura feels that the necessity offering prayers at the shrine, which honors convicted war criminals along with the war dead is his moral right.

"I prayed for the spirits of those who died in war to rest in peace, with the country and families in mind,"

Fair enough, I hope voters take that on board, and ask themselves, what such insistence offers his children future to dwell on a past that brought nothing but humiliation and devastation.

GarthgoyleToday  05:11 pm JST

People visit memorials for those who fought for their country everywhere in the world. Get over it already.

Do Germans visit memorials and pay respects to top level Nazis? Do Italians pay respect to Mussolini every year? Cambodians pay respect to Pol Pot. And there are many places in Japan where you can pay respect to the war dead that doesn't include class A war criminals.

I went there. The museum is pretty good.

Is it possible to disinter people in Japan/Shintoism?

If so, get the war criminals out of there and put them somewhere else. Then Yasukuni is a great place for them to visit, as it's memorial of mainly common folk who died.

"I prayed for the spirits of those who died in war to rest in peace, with the country and families in mind," 

Just not the countries and families of the MILLIONS Japan murdered across Asia, I guess. But hey, that's the same attitude that allowed it to happen in the first place, so well done! Wonder if he'll be quite as concerned by any kind of retaliatory rhetoric and/or actions by the nations he insists on offending by ignoring the truth of the past and honoring war criminals.

Far-right regime who want to justify and beauty pre-war and wartime totalitarianism Japan still continue.

GarthgoyleToday  05:11 pm JST

People visit memorials for those who fought for their country everywhere in the world. Get over it already.

People do, yes. Japanese politicians, though... well, you don't seem to know very much about what they're not supposed to do. You definitely don't know what they're really going for.

shogun36Today  06:30 pm JST

Look, if you're gonna visit the shrine, then go. No need to announce it to everyone.

For him there is. He needs the dopey old right-wing nutcases with all the money and votes to know they're not going to waste.

Yasutoshi Nishimura prayed for the fallen to rest in peace ? And paid a ritual offering out of his own pocket? How much?

CaptDingleheimerToday  08:35 pm JST

If so, get the war criminals out of there and put them somewhere else. Then Yasukuni is a great place for them to visit, as it's memorial of mainly common folk who died.

There are no human remains at Yasukuni Shrine.

Randy DaytonaOct. 16  11:18 pm JST

Your guessing and assuming he hasn't prayed for all that who perished in the war

However you don't actually know that do you ?

Don't pass judgment about things your guessing about

He prayed for all those who died in war

Don't you think it's a bit naive to assume that an LDP Diet member would be praying for anything other than votes and cash?

Simon FostonToday 01:11 am JST

Don't you think it's a bit naive to assume that an LDP Diet member would be praying for anything other than votes and cash?

I salute you, sir.

As in interesting or historically accurate?

I went there. The museum is pretty good.

 those who died in war to rest in peace, with the country and families in mind

That wasn't the case with the last war. They fought to preserve the emperor and imperial system. The soldiers were told that explicitly and repeatedly by their leaders and media throughout the war. Their "families" were supposed to sacrifice themselves for their dear heaven-sent leader, as the J government of the time so often stressed.

People visit memorials for those who fought for their country everywhere in the world. 

Japan has numerous war memorials, which people don't have an issue with. Yasukuni is different. It clearly glorifies imperial Japan's adventure that killed 20 million innocent people. Breaking news: some people find that offensive.

he could have spent that time doing something about collapsing JP economy

Yeah. Because if he doesn't do something there's going to be even more dead spirits to pray for.

"I prayed for the spirits of those who died in war to rest in peace, with the country and families in mind,

I prayed for Japanese economy growth and salary increase that so far didn't happen.

LOL.

I wish that instead of praying for the spirits of those who died in war to rest in peace, with the country and families in mind, he would actually do something for the economy with the country and families in mind.

In Tokyo, there is a national cemetery called Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery where the remains of unknown soldiers and civilians who lost life in a war on foreign soil. The facility was built in 1959 and is said to be free of any religious sect. For detailed information, see "Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery" in Wikipedia.

 The Yasukuni Shrine issue must be considered in conjunction with Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery. See also the entry Yasukuni Shrine" in Wikipedia.

No matter where Japanese people go to worship, other countries cannot be allowed to interfere. Can we tell Americans not to go to Arlington Cemetery?

Those who were judged to be Class A war criminals at the Tokyo Trials have had their honor restored by a unanimous vote in the Diet. They too are just victims of war.

The war with Japan could have been stopped if America had wanted to.

In the first place, it would be impossible for a country to rule by law to make judgments based on ex-post facto laws.

You should definitely check out what India's Justice Pearl had to say.

Isn't it an understatement that the Japanese military only killed 20 million people?

Isn't it estimated that 38 million people have died in China, 14 million in Indonesia, and 100 million in South Korea?

Wouldn't the Japanese military have caused more casualties than Mao Zedong, Stalin, and of course Pol Pot?

Agent_Neo

Oct. 18 10:29 pm JST

No matter where Japanese people go to worship, other countries cannot be allowed to interfere.

What a gross over-simplifaction. Of course Japanese people have the right to worship however they like. Japanese politicians may not participate in religious activities except in private, which there is no need for anyone else to know about.

Can we tell Americans not to go to Arlington Cemetery?

Totally false equivalency. Arlington is a US Government facility where politicians may have official duties, Yasukuni is completely private.

Agent_Neo

Oct. 18 10:29 pm JST

You should definitely check out what India's Justice Pearl had to say.

What, this?

The evidence is still overwhelming that atrocities were perpetrated by the members of the Japanese armed forces against the civilian population of some of the territories occupied by them as also against the prisoners of war."

Are you saying that American politicians who use the Bible in their presidential oaths have nothing to do with religion?

There is nothing wrong with Japanese politicians saying they are visiting the shrine in their personal capacity and paying the fees out of their own pockets instead of paying taxes.

Japanese politicians seem to be better able to separate religions.

If America's Arlington Cemetery is government-run, then religious segregation is not possible, right?

On the other hand, if Yasukuni Shrine is a private property, wouldn't there be any religious issues?

I've never seen clear evidence of the atrocities committed by the Japanese military, so I'd love to hear about it. There must be photos, testimonies, and lots of evidence, right?