Japanese Secretariat: “It is natural to have respect for those who sacrificed their lives for the country.”
Japan’s Minister of Economy and Security Sanae Takaichi visited Yasukuni Shrine, where Class A war criminals from the Pacific War are enshrined, at around 10:30 a.m. on the 17th.
According to local public broadcaster NHK and private TBS, his visit was in line with Yasukuni Shrine’s annual fall festival, which began on the 17th.
After visiting the shrine, Minister of Economy and Security Takaichi told reporters that he had also donated Tamagu Shiryo (玉串料) as an offering in the name of ‘Minister of State Sanae Takaichi’ at his own expense.
He said, “I expressed my gratitude with a respectful heart to the souls of those who died for national service,” and “I prayed for good health for the bereaved families.”
Minister of Economy and Security Takaichi, known for his right-wing leanings, visits Yasukuni Shrine every year on August 15, the day of defeat, during the Spring and Autumn Festivals.
In particular, Minister of Economy and Security Takaichi was the third Japanese minister to visit the shrine on the 17th to 19th in line with this year’s annual festival, following Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura and Minister of Economic Regeneration Yoshitaka Shindo.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Nishimura announced that he visited the shrine on the 16th and donated a Tamagu sample at his own expense. It was in the name of ‘House of Representatives member Yasutoshi Nishimura’.
When asked by reporters whether he also offered tributes, the Shindo Economic Revitalization Minister, who visited the shrine at 8:30 a.m. on the 17th, avoided comment, saying, “It was a private act.”
This morning, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida presented Masagaki (??) as a tribute. Local media predict that there will be no worship during the annual festival that runs until the 19th.
Since taking office in October 2021, Prime Minister Kishida has been dedicating Masagiki as an offering at the Spring Festival, a spring ritual, and the Autumn Festival, an autumn ritual. On August 15th, the day of the defeat, he offered a tribute item.
This follows in the footsteps of his predecessors, former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
In response to the expected backlash from Korea and China due to Prime Minister Kishida’s tribute offering and ministers’ visits to the shrine, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, a spokesperson for the Japanese government, said at a regular press conference this morning, “Thank you to those who sacrificed their lives for the country. “It is natural to express respect,” he emphasized.
However, he said, “There is no change in our policy to strengthen relations with China and Korea in the future.”
Yasukuni Shrine is a symbol of Japanese militarism. This is where the memorial tablets of over 2,466,000 people who died in Japan’s wars of aggression over the past 100 years, including Hideki Tojo and 14 Class A war criminals from the Pacific War, are enshrined. It is known that some 20,000 Koreans who were forcibly mobilized for war were also enshrined.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.