Yasukuni Visit by Defense Minister

Minister of Defense, Tomomi Inada, visited Yasukuni Shrine, which is known as a war shrine enshrining A-class war criminals of Imperial Japan, to pray for war victims on Thursday. It was the first visit to the shrine, since she took the office in August. While she avoided the visit on August 15^th, the War Memorial Day, she supposedly needed to implement her conviction as a conservative figure in Shinzo Abe administration before the end of this year. As expected, neighbor countries delivered firm criticism against the lack of reflection on what Japan had done in the war.

Inada signed her name on a page of notebook for visitors with her title of Minister of Defense. She donated certain amount of pocket money for ritual purpose. “After the most perilous fight, Japan and United States have made the firmest alliance now. I visited the shrine with my sentiment for building peace for Japan and the world with future-looking viewpoint,” said Inada to the press after her visit.

In 2006, Inada jointed a conservative group that argued unfairness of Tokyo War Tribunal, called Association of Tradition and Creation, with some lawmakers with Liberal Democratic Party. She usually visited Yasukuni on April 28^th, when Japan regained its sovereignty with San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1952, and on August 15^th every year. “We must not forget that our world is based on accumulation of victims who was dispatched to protect family or nation,” said Inada, referring to her uncle who was a member of Special Attacking Team of the Imperial Army, that committed suicide attack of aircraft, and enshrined in Yasukuni.

Inada visited Pearl Harbor in Hawaii with Prime Minister Abe earlier this week. After returning from the memorial event, she straightforwardly went to Yasukuni, as if trying to contain negative impact of her visit minimum. But it was obvious that her unilateral decision of the visit eroded the achievement of Abe’s visit to Pearl Harbor, where Abe appealed to power of reconciliation. An officer with U.S. Department of State issued an unusual comment on a Minister’s visit to Yasukuni, which insisted on importance of dealing with historical issues with promotion of healing and reconciliation.

China expressed firm opposition to Inada’s visit to Yasukuni. Spokeswoman of Chinese Ministry on Foreign Affairs, Hua Chunying, argued that Inada’s visit to Yasukuni reflected rigorous and wrong perspectives on the history and concluded Abe’s visit to Pearl Harbor as extremely ironical event. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Minister of Japanese Embassy in Beijing and protested Inada’s visit. South Korea was also frustrated. “We cannot help regret the visit of a responsible Japanese politician to Yasukuni, which glorifies past colonization and aggressive war and enshrines war criminals,” said a Spokesman of Ministry on Foreign Affairs of South Korea.

Inada insisted that her sentiment to pray for the victims could be understandable for everyone. Abe issued no comment on the event on Thursday after playing golf.