When Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made his sixth
pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine, the last before he steps down as
president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in September, the
protests from other Asian nations and his countrymen fell on deaf
ears.
In Tokyo Monday night, a group of Japanese, and people from the
Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Taiwan region, including bereaved
families of the war dead, urged Koizumi to refrain from visiting
the shrine, where war dead including 14 Class-A war criminals are
interred.
When Koizumi's determination was clear, so too were the
consequences.
He vowed to keep paying homage to Yasukuni during his term when
he took office as prime minister in 2001. He has been true to his
word even though it hurts his country's relations with its
neighbors.
He worshipped the Japanese war dead at the shrine yesterday, the
anniversary of Japan's official surrender in 1945. Koizumi dodged
the day for his shrine pilgrimages over the past five years,
seemingly aware of the sensitivity of the issue.
He chose to worship at Yasukuni in his official capacity
yesterday, disregarding condemnations at home and abroad. He
arrived at the shrine by limousine and signed the guestbook with
his full name and official title.
His choice was desperate because his days of being prime
minister are numbered. Refusing to own up to his country's
aggressive past, he cares nothing about what a difficult situation
he will leave for his successor.
He has been stubborn in stoking tensions by ignoring the
concerns of his country's neighbors.
Our government reacted to Koizumi's shrine pilgrimage yesterday,
saying it "hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and tainted
Japan's image and national interest."
ROK Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon criticized Koizumi's shrine
homage for showing no respect to the ROK Government and its people,
"particularly on our independence day and the day of the end of
World War II."
Mutual visits of top government leaders between China and Japan
have been on hold due to Koizumi's annual calls at the shrine.
The cause of Japan's strained relations with its two neighbors
China and the ROK was his pilgrimage to Yasukuni.
Determined to pay homage to Yasukuni every year, on August 15
this year, Koizumi showed that he does not value his country's
relations with neighboring countries.
His justification for the shrine pilgrimage that the war
criminals already took responsibility by receiving the death
penalty cannot free Koizumi from condemnation.
While the 14 Class-A war criminals are part of the war dead at
the Yasukuni, his worship there is reckless.
Turning a deaf ear to criticism from China and the ROK, Koizumi
called the two countries "immature."
Yasukuni, which means "peaceful nation," is supposed to be a
place to reflect on the sorrow of war. But clearly, the keepers of
the shrine are more sensitive to Japan's suffering than the
suffering Japan inflicted on others.
So is the outgoing Koizumi.
(China Daily August 16, 2006)
