Yasukuni Shrine

Located in Tokyo and begun to establish in 1869, Yasukuni Shrine, which took its current name 10 years later, is a Shinto memorial to some 2.5 million Japanese who have died in Japan's various wars since the 19th century, including 14 executed class-A war criminals such as General Hideki Tojo - prime minister during World War II and about 2,000 class-B and class-C war criminals.

Yasukuni Jinja Shrine is closely related with Japanese aggression and expansion in those years and militarist ideology, brazenly paying respect to the ghosts of war criminals is an intolerable insult and hurt to the Asian people and seriously affects Japan's relations with concerned countries. It is a symbol of Japanese militarism and a wartime government-sponsored Shintoism before and during World War II to propagate imperialism.

After the World War II, Japan abolished Shintoism and Yasukuni became a religious site. Yet, some Japanese politicians still demand the shrine be sponsored by the state and the heads of state pay homage to it. On August 15 of every year, a handful of rightists will make a hue and cry in the shrine in an effort to revive the dying embers of militarism. Therefore, it is clear to visit the Yasukuni Shrine is not to mourn the common war dead, nor an internal issue of Japan.

Koizumi(L) visits Yasukuni Shrine

It is, in fact, a touchstone of the Japanese government's attitude towards the history of aggression. It is a fundamental issue of importance showing Japan's attitude toward the Asian victims of its past aggressions.

Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine has drawn strong criticism and condemnation from its neighbors as well as the peace-loving groups and parties at home. His purpose in doing this is nothing but to woo votes from the Japanese rightists as well as to beautify Japan's past aggressions. As leader of Japan -- a major nation in Asia, Koizumi should rethink before he really goes to the shrine so as to avoid damaging Japan's relations with its neighbors and their people again.