Two cabinet ministers visit Yasukuni shrine

Shock!

Only two. Seems even the LDP rightists are catching on that visiting Yasukuni is not cool.

How much you want to bet that tomorrow these same visitors will be demanding China and Korea forget about the past?

Exactly the same as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington. It is important to honor your fallen even if they were not all kosher.

It is important to honor your fallen even if they were not all kosher.

then why germany is not doing the same to hitler and his buddies.

Exactly the same as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington. I

Other than the fact that, you know, it's not.

The saddest thing about the enshrined war dead @ Yasukuni:

They believed that the "Emperor" was a living God and it was their "Duty" to die for him and for the benefit of the empire of Japan. It was all nonsense, imo.

Even the japanese soldiers, drafted, & didn't believe in that "concept", were "brainwashed" to believe so. If they didn't, they were executed for being traitors.

Knowing this, why don't japanese forsake this contemptible shrine. End of story.

Did they visit the museum next door? op-ed from today`s JT about the cost of historical revisionism: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/10/17/commentary/japans-public-diplomacy-churlish-cluelessness/#.ViNTA8t_s0s

Did they wear Western formal dress when they visited, as Abe did last time?

I can't understand that... it's wearing the enemy's clothes...

They should have dressed up in WW2 uniforms like the clowns who often march around Yasukuni Shrine...

shonanbb:

Exactly the same as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington. It is important to honor your fallen even if they were not all kosher.

Yeah, I hear Angela Merkel will honour Adolf Hitler next week.

Hitler's tomb of under a parking lot. That's what Germany thinks. Kinda different

Yasukuni is just a shrine, a list of names. You can't control spirits. Keeping everyone on the same list ensure never ending controversy and does a disservice to the non war criminals Yasukuni used to represent. Poor Yasukuni as well, being co-opted into this mess

Only fools who have accomplished nothing in their own personal lives, use nationalism as a source of strength.

At this point, I find it hilarious that LDP religiously keeps its status quo as flaming hypocrites.

Perhaps it would be better to apologise to the fallen than to express gratitude, given that Japan's representatives have apologised on many occasions to countries that suffered from their war time actions.

Just who exactly is the Japanese Hitler buried at Yasukuni? Equating the two is a stretch. Abe or any of the ministers go to remember all who fought for their country not for a particular soldier. Why isn't a visit to the Vietnam Memorial a big deal? Neither should Yasukuni.

quercetum OCT. 18, 2015 - 09:00PM JST Just who exactly is the Japanese Hitler buried at Yasukuni? Equating the two is a stretch. Abe or any of the ministers go to remember all who fought for their country not for a particular soldier. Why isn't a visit to the Vietnam Memorial a big deal? Neither should Yasukuni.

Oh I don't know, Hideki Tojo? You are really going to compare Yasukuni Shrine to Vietnam Memorial? Really? Given American politicians don't deny the vietnam war or downplay the number of victims or trying to play victims that they are defending themselves portraying Vietnamese as brutal savages.

Even though the world war 2 ended 70 years ago, Japanese politics still uses NHK as propaganda piece. Until then they don't have any rooms to complain about the big stink raised over Yasukuni Shrine.

Mr Abe is a member of Nippon Kaigi and so is Mr Takaichi. Mr Iwaki is not listed as a member (yet). NIPPON KAIGI: IDEALS: (Wiki) "The group describes its aims as to "change the postwar national consciousness based on the Tokyo Tribunal's view of history as a fundamental problem" and to "revise the current Constitution." Norimitsu Onishi considers that the organization promotes a revival of the fundamentals of the Empire of Japan. The nationalist movement sees its mission to promote patriotic education, the revision of the Constitution of Japan, and support for prime ministers' official visits to Yasukuni Shrine. In the words of Hideaki Kase, an influential member of Nippon Kaigi, "We are dedicated to our conservative cause. We are monarchists. We are for revising the constitution. We are for the glory of the nation." Nippon Kaigi supports revising the Japanese Constitution, especially Article 9 which forbids a standing army.

Muneo Narusawa considers that, in parallel with historical revisionism, the organization often highlights historical facts that convey Japan as a victim such as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or the North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens. Education minister Hakubun Shimomura, the secretary general of the Discussion Group of Nippon Kaigi Diet Members (Nippon Kaigi kokkai giin kondankai - 日本会議国会議員懇談会), argues for patriotic education and opposes a "masochistic view of history". According to a February 2014 report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service, Nippon Kaigi Kyokai believes that "Japan should be applauded for liberating much of East Asia from Western colonial powers", that "the 1946-1948 Tokyo War Crimes tribunals were illegitimate", and that "the killings by Imperial Japanese troops during the 1937 Nanjing massacre were exaggerated or fabricated". The group vigorously defends Japan's claim in its territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands with China, and denies that Japan forced the "comfort women" into sexual slavery during World War II. Nippon Kaigi fights against feminism, LGBT rights, and the 1999 Gender Equality Law.

Nippon Kaigi aims to restore the Shinto god-like status of the Emperor of Japan"

I'm sorry but Tojo is not Hitler and you know that. Not all Japanese politicians face up to history, but one or a few does not represent all Japanese. Going to Yasukuni to pray for peace or for remembering those who died for their country - who are also victims - is ABSOLUTELY comparable to going to the Vietnam Memorial and remembering those who gave their lives. No,the Vietnam Memorial does not have an exhibit attached that honors the use of Nepalm or the actions at My Lai but no one is comparing the two wars.

@quercetumOCT. 18, 2015 - 09:00PM JST Just who exactly is the Japanese Hitler buried at Yasukuni?

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Nobody was vuried in Yasukuni,

I'm sorry but Tojo is not Hitler and you know that.

Do you not know much about Tojo? He isn't as vilified as Hitler, but some of the stuff done under his watch is just as bad as anything Hitler did. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

abe and his people should be asked if they even believe the class a war criminals enshrined here are class a war criminals, lets start there.

Tojo was ignored by Hitler then. Triad was promoted by somebody else. Research Sangoku Domei in any pedia or history book. The one fooled Hitler saying there is no Jews in Manchuria and ordered ambassador to move Yudaya Jin to Japan, then on the way baxk home, Chrch priest to send to Manchuria to let them escape from Military perecution that was planned in Japan as he was Methodist promoter in Japan when he was younger, .

@Toshiko yes, but his ashes are there in Yauskuni.

@quercetumOCT. 18, 2015 - 11:54PM JST @Toshiko yes, but his ashes are there in Yauskuni.

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No, no ash. When he was enshrined, only his name written paper (Kamifusa) was made to enshrine his soul. Shrine is shinto and no ash. He died in 1945 with TB and he was neither Buddhist nor Shintoist. he was not cremated in 1945. His enshrinement was either this year or last year. No ash either.

the same discussion again? seems like criticizing never ended.

When I did research, Tojo'd don who was working for a bank mentioned his ash were spreas in Tokyo Bay. It is not cemetery anyway. Ask Gen,;s relative by yourself.

Stop visiting Yasukuni shrine just move in there then there will be no big news about it....

Hi! China-jin and Chosen-jin.

A class war criminals is not to show their weight of the sin.

A is just one of the classification.

Didn't you KNOW that?hahaha

A is 14 and only their name written papers are in shrine like many many name written papers. Some people said ash but there is no ash there. Some people wrote buried but shrine was never grave site. When you read Yasukuni article in English. make sure the author visited shrine, Some authors never visited Japan. Best is to stay away if your relative was not enshrined, Japanese say souls go up in the air and disappear there.