Over 50 percent of Japanese polled in an Asahi Shimbun
daily survey said Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi should stop
visiting the war criminal-related Yasukuni Shrine, the Asahi
Shimbun newspaper said Tuesday.??
Meanwhile, the survey found that the memory of the World War II
is going away from the Japanese, notably the younger
generations.
Fifty-two percent of respondents opposed Koizumi's yearly
practice, which has been strongly protested by Japan's Asian
neighbors because it enshrines 14 WWII Class-A war criminals.
In the last survey in May, 49 percent said they were against the
visit. And the people who support Koizumi's practice were at 36
percent this time, down from the 39 percent in the pervious
survey.
Asked why Koizumi should quit the visit, 72 percent of the
pollees against the visit said "because the views of neighboring
nations should be considered," followed by 13 percent who said
"because Yasukuni enshrines Class-A war criminals," according to
the newspaper.
The survey showed 58 percent of respondents said they seldom or
never talk about the war.
Thirty-eight percent admitted they knew little or very little
about the war, while 62 percent said they knew much or somewhat
about the WWII.
As for the sources of their knowledge of the war, 35 percent
cited their own experiences or the people close to them, followed
by 29 percent who learned at school and 15 percent, from books and
movies.
According to the survey, 87 percent want to teach younger people
about the war.
(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2005)