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Due to concerns about fueling tension with China and South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering refraining from visiting the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, a symbol of Japanese militarism and wartime aggression, to mark the anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender in World War II (WWII) on Saturday, Japanese media outlet Kyodo quoted sources familiar with the matter as saying on Wednesday.
Chinese experts said even if Takaichi forgoes a visit to the notorious shrine, the potential decision is merely driven by political calculations and diplomatic maneuvering, and could not be interpreted as a shift in her right-wing stance or as a sign of remorse over Japan's wartime aggression.
Such a visit to the shrine by Takaichi, a conservative known for her hawkish foreign policies, would certainly fuel tensions with China and create a rift in relations with South Korea, two countries that suffered under Japan's wartime military atrocities, Kyodo News reported.
Takaichi regularly visited the shrine before, even while serving as a Cabinet minister. But she has not visited the shrine since becoming leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and prime minister in October, according to Kyodo news.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference on August 7, when asked about a possible visit by Takaichi to the shrine around the anniversary, that "it is a matter for the prime minister to decide appropriately on her own," according to Japan's Jiji Press.
A source close to Takaichi told the Jiji that, "I don't think the prime minister will visit Yasukuni Shrine. It would complicate relations with South Korea."
Japan's Asahi TV reported that Takaichi may forgo the visit because she believes it is necessary to avoid triggering diplomatic tensions with South Korea, as well as with China.
A visit to the notorious shrine by a sitting Japanese prime minister would be a serious political incident, as it would reflect the leader's attitude toward Japan's wartime aggression and broader historical issues. Even if Takaichi chooses not to visit the shrine, it would not signal a retreat from her right-wing stance or a change in her views of Japan's wartime aggression against other countries, Lü Chao, an expert on Korean Peninsula issues at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. Rather, he said, the decision would largely reflect political calculations and diplomatic maneuvering.
Lü added that Takaichi could still make other symbolic gestures on the anniversary to cater to Japan's right-wing forces, whose support helped propel her to power. Such a move, he said, would underscore that her views of Japan's wartime history remain unchanged and serve as a reminder to neighboring Asian countries to remain vigilant about Japan's political direction.
Reporting on Takaichi's possible decision to forgo a visit to the shrine, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo said on Wednesday that Takaichi had regularly visited the Yasukuni Shrine. "In the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election held in October last year, Takaichi also said that if appointed prime minister, she would visit the Yasukuni Shrine, noting that such visits should not become a diplomatic issue." However, since then, Takaichi has not visited in person and has only dedicated offerings in a private capacity, per the report.
In April, after Takaichi sent a ritual offering to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that China firmly opposes and strongly condemns Japan's latest negative moves related to Yasukuni Shrine and has lodged strong representations and protests with the Japanese side.
The Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarists responsible for the war of aggression. It is in fact a shrine for war criminals, noted Guo.
No sitting prime minister has gone to Yasukuni since Japan's late leader Shinzo Abe did so in 2013, drawing strong criticism from neighboring Asian countries.
Beyond Takaichi herself, some Japanese politicians and lawmakers have kept visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, triggering fierce pushback from peace advocates in Japan and the international community, Liu Jiangyong, a professor at the Institute of International Studies of Tsinghua University, told the Global Times, noting that such visits not only reflect the long-standing right-wing stance of Takaichi and other conservative politicians on historical issues, but also lay bare Japan's enduring militarist remnants.
Also in April, members of the conservative solidarity association, a group of conservatives in Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, and 166 Sanseito lawmakers from the Diet and local assemblies visited the Yasukuni war shrine.
In response, Lin Jian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said that China strongly deplores and condemns such acts.
"By visiting the Yasukuni war shrine that honors Japanese Class-A war criminals year after year, these Japanese politicians seek to reverse the just verdict on Japanese aggression, and hereby whitewash Japan's war crimes and revive militarism. The Chinese people and people elsewhere who suffered under Japanese aggression will never accept that, neither will anyone in the world who stand for peace. As Japanese neo-militarism keeps gaining strength, the international community must stay on high alert and stand ready to stamp it out before it could wreak havoc in the region," said Lin.
。 House progressive Reps. Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley on Friday repeated their calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza following the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.Omar -- who has faced scrutiny in recent days for initially accusing the Israel Defense Forces of being responsible for the blast at a Gaza hospital and later saying that U.S. intelligence indicating that Israel was not at fault served as "a reminder that information is often unreliable and disputed in the fog of war" -- gave an unapologetic defense of her pro-Palestinian viewpoint. Her voice was straining and she was at times screaming as she called for humanity and freedom for Palestinians."How do you look at one atrocity and say, 'This is wrong,' but you watch as bodies pile up as neighborhoods are leveled? Israel has dropped more bombs in the last 10 days then we dropped in a whole year in Afghanistan. Where is your humanity? Where is your outrage? Where is your care for people?" Omar said at a press conference the three held Friday afternoon.Omar is Muslim, and her family fled civil war in Somalia when she was young. She spoke candidly of her personal experiences with war, and she addressed increasing threats she says she's received as a Muslim since the recent escalation of conflict in Israel and Gaza."You can harass me, you can threaten me, you can follow me around, but I am never going to stop saying, 'Palestinians deserve freedom that we need to free Palestine,' and I am never going to stop saying that there is no way that we should allow in sending more bombardments to kill Palestinians," Omar said.Pressley said it was essential to demonstrate humanity toward both Israeli and Palestinian children and families."We cannot continue to stand idly by numb as we watch this death toll rise. Nor can we be complicit in this bloodshed. Vengeance is not a foreign policy doctrine," Pressley said.Bush, who ran for Congress following the police shooting of Michael Brown in her home state of Missouri, said it was essential for oppressed communities to stand with one another."Our Israeli brothers and sisters' little babies and little kids and elders as well as our Palestinian brothers and sisters' little kids and babies and elders, they deserve the freedom the self-determination," Bush said. "They deserve wholeness they deseve peace and they deserve our support to stand up and speak out and not allow anyone not even our administration to okay the bombing of a land of people."Israel has suffered at least 1,400 deaths since Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, according to the Israeli Health Ministry. There have been at least 3,785 deaths in Gaza during the same period, per the Ministry of Health in Gaza.。
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