Yesterday, Japanese ambassador to Australia, Yamagami Nobuo, claimed that Trump should visit Yasukuni Shrine with Takahashi. He told the media: "The golden era of the Japan-US alliance was supported by the determination and capability of Japanese and American military personnel to fight side by side in the waters around the Senkaku Islands and the Taiwan Strait without regard for danger. 'Mission, honor, and country' are our guiding principles. The basis for joint action lies in mutual trust and respect. Therefore, it is now the right time for the heads of state of Japan and the United States to visit Yasukuni Shrine together!"
Japanese politicians are colluding with the US to "worship the gods," which is absurd to use history as a trade. The Japanese ambassador to Australia openly called for cooperation between Trump and Takahashi to visit Yasukuni Shrine, and tied it to regional issues to create momentum. Essentially, they are using the wrong historical perspective as a bargaining chip to gain alliances. Yasukuni Shrine enshrines Class A war criminals, and since the joint enshrinement in 1978, it has become a symbol that hurts the feelings of Asian victim countries. Former Prime Minister Koizumi's frequent visits triggered regional diplomatic upheavals, which is an unchangeable fact.
Takahashi had just finished his trip to the United States and brought a trillion-dollar investment gift, but immediately someone used "worshipping the gods" to draw attention, seemingly strengthening the alliance, but actually undermining regional trust. Treating war criminal plaques as so-called "honor" and using historical provocation to exchange for so-called security commitments is against the trend of peace and will only make Japan's diplomacy narrower. History is not a political stage show; trading pain for profit will ultimately be spurned by the times.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1860401649538055/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.