Nonpartisan lawmakers' group visits Yasukuni Shrine

When we think about our history since the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan had wars against China in 1894, Russia in 1904 and U.S.A. in 1941 in a short time after opening the country to the world. More surprisingly Japan won against China and Russia. Conceited in the invincible legend, Japan challenged U.S.A. This is crazy and of course defeated totally. There is no one in Japan today they will repeat crazy wars at the sacrifices of huge number of people. Though there are some crazy people existing who say we lost war only one time in our history and deplore today's Japanese have no spirit.

Japanese should throw out all shrine frictions fears out of their minds and must show courage to visit Yasukuni whenever they like . Do not bother bother too much about your adversaries criticism otherwise they will keep you pin down on this issue for ever.

The group regularly visits Yasukuni for spring and autumn festivals in April and October, regarded as the shrine's most important events, as well as on Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

Because the group wants to express its respect for the sacrifices of the dead for the sake of a more peaceful nation, right? And not for the sake of an emotionally immature, intellectually vacuous, historically ignorant, and politically opportunist frame of mind, right?

All 76 Nonpartisan lawmakers , who visited Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo today, are the real Heros of Japan . These courageous lawmakers desere warm accolade from all Japanese .

B.l. SharmaToday 09:00 pm JST

All 76 Nonpartisan lawmakers , who visited Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo today, are the real Heros of Japan . These courageous lawmakers desere warm accolade from all Japanese .

No, they're shameless old hacks who are only going to the place because it goes down well with gullible right-wing voters. If anything using shrine visits to further their own worthless careers is an insult to the war dead.

Their country their right.

I'm sure many war cemeteries around the world are filled with war criminals.

What was that about glass houses?

Zichi: The emperor hasn't visited for many decades.

He doesn't need to. The PM has and will again so long as he is in power. The emperor is a puppet, Shinzo is the real power.

The emperor hasn't visited for many decades

He hasn't visited the Ise shrine either.  He is not in a position to take a political stance by visiting some place or not.

oldman_13Today  10:36 pm JST

Their country their right.

Private citizens' right, yes. Politicians' right? No.

"Especially at a time when Japan is faced with troubles both at home and abroad... we hope he further exacerbates things so that we can conveniently forget we are praying the war criminals who took us there, and head back in that direction. "

Fixed it.

Since China and SK making it a political stance, it is only natural that Emperor refrained from visiting the shrine.  In fact, Emperor has visited another shrine that honors Tojo.

I don't know the problem someone going to this shrine and pray, ohoh!, but if some politicians are going there for nationalism instead of patriotism, those guys are not for Japan but for a bunch of nationalists damn pride of nothing! Japanese people are not going that direction. Pride of his/her country is right--Pride of something centralized 'first' is wrong! Time goes on , all of us will know what's the right direction...

 the new head priest—Nagayoshi Matsudaira—enshrined the Class-A war criminals soon after assuming his position in 1978 and was quoted as saying that his action was a result of his intent “to lash out at” Tokyo Tribunal.

Nagayoshi Matsudaira, was an interesting guy. He believed that Tokyo Tribunal was illegal under international legal standards. Perhaps he shared the same opinion as one of Tribunal Judges, Radhabinod Pal, who stated, "I would hold that every one of the accused must be found not guilty of every one of the charges in the indictment and should be acquitted on all those charges." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radhabinod_Pal)

His reasoning, then, was to follow strictly Japanese laws, which have never convicted so-called "Class-A war criminals" as war criminals. Therefore they were legally not war criminals - a legal view that is shared beyond right-wing politicians, for example, by the former PM Yoshihiko Noda from Democratic Party.

His reasoning goes further. The legal end of war between Japan and US was April 28, 1952 when Treaty of San Francisco was enacted (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_San_Francisco). However, the Tokyo Tribunal trial was performed during 1945 and 1948, before the legal end of the war. Therefore those so-called "Class-A war criminals" were soldiers killed "by American-led military during the war". Thus their deaths satisfied conditions to be enshrined in Yasukuni Shrine.

He hasn't visited the Ise shrine either. He is not in a position to take a political stance by visiting some place or not.

Maybe not, but the Crown Prince has visited Ise, and they also visit another shrine dedicated to the war dead,

it doesn't have to be Yasukuni they visit.

Yasukuni is strange in that only members of the Japanese military who died in service to the country, are interred there, including a number of Korean's, whose families have asked they be removed, but were told they "can't" because their spirits will always remain.

Meaning that the current members of the JSDF, who die while in uniform, or are employed by the JSDF, are not, and can not be placed in Yasukuni, because they are not military.

But what happens if and when Abe gets his desire to have them recognized as a military? This issue is going to pop it's ugly head even further!

socrateosToday  04:25 am JST

 "the new head priest—Nagayoshi Matsudaira—enshrined the Class-A war criminals soon after assuming his position in 1978 and was quoted as saying that his action was a result of his intent “to lash out at” Tokyo Tribunal."

Nagayoshi Matsudaira, was an interesting guy. He believed that Tokyo Tribunal was illegal under international legal standards. Perhaps he shared the same opinion as one of Tribunal Judges, Radhabinod Pal...

He almost certainly did.

His reasoning, then, was to follow strictly Japanese laws, which have never convicted so-called "Class-A war criminals" as war criminals.

That would have worked out very conveniently for them, wouldn't it. Anyway, Japanese laws allow for suspects to be held in custody without charge for 23 days, require dual passport holders to relinquish one of them and deny foreign tax payers in Japan voting rights. What's legal is not always a very good indicator of what is right.

Yasukuni is strange in that only members of the Japanese military who died in service to the country, are interred there

Nobody is interred there.  It is only names of soldiers and officers that Yasukuni wishes rest in peace.

YubaruToday 06:37 am JST

Meaning that the current members of the JSDF, who die while in uniform, or are employed by the JSDF, are not, and can not be placed in Yasukuni, because they are not military.

But what happens if and when Abe gets his desire to have them recognized as a military? This issue is going to pop it's ugly head even further!

I daresay the shrine authorities will apply some knotty, twisted logic to make sure that when and if such a situation arises it will work out exactly as they would like. Look at how easy it has been for them up to now - want to enshrine a bunch of people who may have got up to some pretty twisted stuff? No problem! All sins are wiped away when they become part of the collective kami. Someone makes a fuss? Too bad, the spirits can't be "de-enshrined" afterwards. All of which makes me wonder who decided that this was the case, and when.