Kuraguchi comments

@yubaru

indeed, althought it was faster than I thought it would be in bureaucracy Japan. Maybe he can enjoy a roadtrip in his '91 Integra now ^.^

sandiegoluv

you are one of the few who actually read the whole verdict. Thank you.

I agree with you about rewriting it slightly to fit our today.

@sandiegoluv

The reason I believe people never research is the fact that people tend to go on and on without any example to show for. You see smithinjapan talking about the worship of the Emperor as a 'God'. When you dont even know the difference between God and Kami, how can you possibly contribute and understand such topics? And no, it is not just him.

I constantly see 'war criminals' as a term, but can you say that the trials were legitimate when a man such as Yamashita Tomoyuki was sentenced to death for atrocities? Says something of the revenge driven and rushed trials that were held.

I never deny atrocities, but try to have a neutral view and find the truth. Some think that Westerners have it, but I believe otherwise (e.g. we are still taught the 'America stopped the war and was a hero' story. Until some days ago, we were still taught that Allied forces did first discover Nazi Germany camps upon actually arriving there. Google 'Allied forces knew about concentration camps'. If one were to claim this before, nobody would believe, but the truth is there).

The media and education system in the West is just as bad as in Japan or other countries. I just want people to understand that and figure out things on their own.

I dont know how you think I am not neutral. I admit that it is stupid to visit Yasukuni shrine officially, but at the same time I can see that the shrine is misunderstood immensely.

As for the verdict, it is obvious what is trying to be done when a small sentence of an otherwise good text constantly makes the news. I find it strange that people cannot realize it is no different or dangerous than what is being taught in other countries.

Thank you.

"A major MacArthur mistake was not making English at least a second official language. At least. Half of Japanese problems would not exist. The general public would get news from abroad, read it, & compare & analyze. Now few can do that."

Congratulations, you're a true imperialist yourself.

You all complain about imperialism, but do not realize your own actions. What happened to being neutral for once? What happened to research on your own? That is all I ask, to read before you utter something, yet I get minused down on this site every time.

You see a topic in the news, and instantly believe it. It is genuinely frightening to see hordes of uncritical minds on social medias "liking"/supporting views that are obviously intentionally designed to raise voices against or for a cause. You never actually try to understand the other side. Every day in the comment section I see these people. Every day I see people using words as "they should" this, "they should" that. Don't you realize that this is the exact same thing as what you're fighting against? Not everyone shares your opinion. Not everyone would like to live in a Western style country with Western "values".

Sickening to see how you believe that the West is, and has always been, the "hero" and that everyone else comes behind. Sickening to see how you think that everyone not sharing your view are stupid and should be imprisoned, removed and whatnot. /rant of the day

I thought the internet would enlighten people, but the majority is to lazy to research on their own. E.g. the so-called "Tiger of Malay" was sentenced a war criminal, but you don't have to go further than Wikipedia(!) to understand that he was no more war criminal than allied commanders. Check the internet a bit deeper and you see that Churchill had no compassion for neither his troops or the civilians in his beloved colony of Singapore. Wake up people.

It`s really China and Koreas problem. People with knowledge about the shrine, history and Shinto knows very well that it is not a war shrine.

On the other side, since they falsely believe it is a war shrine, Abe-san and co. would be wise to do this in a more discreet, until things calm down (if they ever do)...

Can someone explain the bad part of the Rescript? "Sacrifise themselves for the Emperor", it is no more disturbing than a number of national anthems sung across the world (e.g. have a look at the US, Austria, France, Italy...). It is no more patriotic than the national anthem of my own country, Norway (which some of you think is so ahead of everyone). Nor different than yelling "For the King and the Fatherland, YES!" which we had to do in the Norwegian army (imagine if young Japanese were forcefully drafted and had to yell "For the Emperor, BANZAI!". Just imagine the comments here.

I agree that they shouldn't force youngsters to memorize it however, but it is by no means something bad and imperialistic which some claim. Please do your research instead of believing everything in the media. The modern way of brainwashing...

They may want more tourists, but something seriously has to be done to expand the amount of accommodation basically everywhere except Tokyo and Osaka. If you want to stay in Kyoto in Sakura season, then you have to book several months ahead. Booking a group of 20 people or more requires you to be 6-12 months early, unless you want to beg JTB to help you out.

Half the hotels and 95% of taxi/bus companies still use fax ...

Famous sightseeing spots are overly crowded already. As a group, you have to use 2-3h just to see Kiyomizu Temple during peak season. Try going to Arashiyama ...

Japan is far from ready for this boom. I am going to flee to the mountains during Autumn leaves season!

Yubaru: "You have to be kidding right? Tell this to the millions of Japanese that died believing that their Emperor was God."

Another soul lost to the education system... when you think Kami = God, then you clearly need to read some books before commenting on anything that has to do with Shinto. Not even Amaterasu is a "God", so kindly never use that word when talking about Shinto, it is extremly misleading.

I agree it's very unnecessary to go there in such an official way, no need to pour fuel on the fire. They KNOW what will happen.

Unfortunately Yasukuni Shrine's reputation has been destroyed by the media making people think it is a "war shrine". People who study the shrine's history and how Shinto works will know otherwise. There are some few war criminals enshrined there, however compared to the millions of other souls, it should be a non-issue. Take an open mind and imagine all the war criminals throughout the short history of the US, yet nobody seems to care. The winner indeed writes the history.

The connecting museum "Yushukan" is perhaps an issue, but it is no bigger issue than our education telling us that the "US had to drop the A-bomb to end the war" or "Manchuria was a terrible place". It is no bigger issue than the History channel and their inaccuracies.

Agree with the guy above

"If anyone posting only negatives without visiting Yasukuni even once, that's disgusting." First go there, see the museum, read the history (from other sources than schoolbooks, the media and FB), then make up your own mind.

@ shallots

Your idea is really an insult to countless people who sacrificed so much to improve their societies over the decades

And who are you to say this? Do you believe this is what the ancestors of this nation fought and sacrificed themselves for? A Westernized Japan lost of its spirit, 'group thinking' and identity? To lose this nations focus on the Emperor? To get rid of its culture of 2500 years? I hardly think so.

This kind of thinking of "changing Japan to the better" (read: make it like the West) is a huge insult to those who sacrificed so much...