Q&A: The Yasukuni Shrine
Justin McCurry on the significance of Japan's controversial memorial to its war dead.
Who is honoured at Yasukuni?
Built in 1869, the shrine deifies almost 2.5 million Japanese soldiers and civilians to have died in wars since the second half of the 19th century.
Why is it controversial?
The shrine did not attract much attention until 1979, when it was revealed that 14 executed Class A war criminals had been secretly enshrined there a year earlier. In 1985, the then prime minister, Yasuhiro Nakasone, angered Japan's neighbours by becoming the first postwar leader to visit on August 15, the anniversary of the end of the war.
Why doesn't Koizumi just stay away?
Junichiro Koizumi, Japan's most rightwing prime minister for years, says he has every right to honour Japan's war dead in whatever way he sees fit. His pilgrimages also have a political dimension: they have shored up support for his premiership from conservatives in the ruling party and from an influential association of families bereaved in wartime.
What is Yasukuni's take on the war?
The Yushukan museum, located next to the shrine, promotes the belief that Japan went to war to save Asia from western imperialism. The museum makes no mention of Japanese wartime atrocities committed in Asia, such as the 1937 Rape of Nanking.
Can Koizumi's successor avoid similar controversy?
By refusing to visit the shrine, his successor - almost certainly Shinzo Abe - would placate Beijing and Seoul, but he would also draw criticism from conservatives at home. Several influential politicians believe the issue could be resolved by enshrining Class A war criminals elsewhere.
Built in 1869, the shrine deifies almost 2.5 million Japanese soldiers and civilians to have died in wars since the second half of the 19th century.
Why is it controversial?
The shrine did not attract much attention until 1979, when it was revealed that 14 executed Class A war criminals had been secretly enshrined there a year earlier. In 1985, the then prime minister, Yasuhiro Nakasone, angered Japan's neighbours by becoming the first postwar leader to visit on August 15, the anniversary of the end of the war.
Why doesn't Koizumi just stay away?
Junichiro Koizumi, Japan's most rightwing prime minister for years, says he has every right to honour Japan's war dead in whatever way he sees fit. His pilgrimages also have a political dimension: they have shored up support for his premiership from conservatives in the ruling party and from an influential association of families bereaved in wartime.
What is Yasukuni's take on the war?
The Yushukan museum, located next to the shrine, promotes the belief that Japan went to war to save Asia from western imperialism. The museum makes no mention of Japanese wartime atrocities committed in Asia, such as the 1937 Rape of Nanking.
Can Koizumi's successor avoid similar controversy?
By refusing to visit the shrine, his successor - almost certainly Shinzo Abe - would placate Beijing and Seoul, but he would also draw criticism from conservatives at home. Several influential politicians believe the issue could be resolved by enshrining Class A war criminals elsewhere.
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