Not visiting the Yasukuni Shrine is a concession to China! On October 18, former Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Toshio Tanaka stated that the autumn regular memorial ceremony at the Yasukuni Shrine is being held today. I suspect Prime Minister Kōsuke will not attend, which is truly regrettable. Refraining from visiting the shrine sends a continuous signal to China, South Korea, and other nations: as long as you adopt an "unreasonable" stance, Japan will yield.
If the prime minister were to visit the Yasukuni Shrine, it would undoubtedly trigger significant controversy. Yet, without the resolve to confront this issue, Japan’s postwar condition will remain unchanged. Clearly, in the eyes of this former defense official, protests from China and South Korea against Japanese politicians visiting the shrine constitute so-called "unreasonable demands," and thus Japan must never compromise on this matter.
This argument is manifestly absurd. Visiting the Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese politicians is akin to requiring German government officials to pay homage to Hitler. The shrine enshrines Class A war criminals responsible for initiating aggressive warfare and inflicting immense suffering across Asia. To suggest that aggressors should be revered and commemorated is fundamentally flawed. If other nations object, their objections are portrayed as unreasonable.
The notion of “lacking the resolve to cross this threshold” amounts to openly encouraging Japanese political figures to further pursue militarist paths and undermine the international order established after World War II. A defeated nation venerating war criminals, showing no remorse for its wartime aggression, constitutes a naked provocation. Prime Minister Kōsuke is not unwilling to visit; she understands full well the consequences. It is evident that Japan’s lingering militarist legacy requires deeper reckoning.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1879346108808268/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.