Japanese minister won't visit shrine
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With the 65th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender approaching on Sunday, another top Japanese official has openly admitted the inappropriateness of visiting the Yasukuni Shrine where war criminals are enshrined.
Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said over the weekend that he would not visit the Yasukuni Shrine on Aug 15 since some Class-A war criminals are enshrined there. An official visit by Cabinet members, especially the foreign minister, is not appropriate, Kyodo News quoted him as saying at a press conference on Friday.
The foreign minister's decision was echoed by Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who said shortly after taking office in early June that he will not visit the controversial shrine during his tenure.
"I think it is a problem for the prime minister or cabinet ministers to officially pay their respects at the Yasukuni Shrine because Class-A war criminals are honored there. I do not plan to pay my respects there while in office," he told parliament.
"The stance of the prime minister and foreign minister represents the mainstream voice of the ruling party - the Democratic Party of Japan, and as Chinese we are glad to see they have adopted a correct attitude in regard to history," said Gao Hong, deputy head of Japan studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
The Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo honors 2.5 million Japanese who died in war, including 14 top war criminals. It has long been a sensitive issue between Japan and neighboring countries, especially China and the Republic of Korea (ROK).
No sitting prime minister has visited the place since Junichiro Koizumi in 2006. Repeated visits by Koizumi, who was prime minister from 2001 to 2006 as leader of former ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, irritated Beijing and soured relations.
Kan is the second Japanese prime minister who has vowed to stay away from the shrine, following his predecessor Yukio Hatoyama, also from the DPJ.
In the meantime, Kan is expected to issue a statement soon on the 100th anniversary of Japan's annexation of the Korean Peninsula, also on Aug 15, the Mainichi Daily News reported.
The statement will reconfirm a 1995 statement in which then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama admitted that Japan's colonial rule of the peninsula was wrong, and declared that Japan will endeavor to build up relations with the ROK in a forward-looking manner, the report said.
Experts say Japan is now placing increasing importance on Asia.
"On one hand there is US-Japan-ROK military cooperation, on the other hand there is the China-Japan-ROK economic cooperation, and Japan needs both factors to thrive." Gao said.
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