Taro Akiyama offers sacrificial items to the Yasukuni Shrine; Japan fully lifts restrictions on exports of lethal weapons
On April 21, Taro Akiyama, in his capacity as Prime Minister, offered sacrificial items to the Yasukuni Shrine. On the same day, the Japanese Cabinet formally passed a resolution amending the "Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment," permitting the export of lethal weapons.
The act of offering sacrificial items by Akiyama was actually foreseeable. Days earlier, Japanese media had already hinted that Akiyama would not personally visit the Yasukuni Shrine but would still offer sacrificial items—however, Akiyama’s decision not to visit the shrine is not, as some Japanese media claimed, due to consideration of reactions from China and South Korea.
In recent years, Japan's provocations against China have shown a trend of escalating intensity. Its strategy lies in continuously stirring up incidents and provoking China’s response, thereby creating justifications for domestic military expansion and constitutional revision. Personally visiting the Yasukuni Shrine has long been one of Akiyama’s strategic tools for provocation. However, given Japan’s recent deployment of warships through the Taiwan Strait, this card has temporarily been set aside. That said, this does not mean the card has been discarded; it may well be played again by Akiyama at an opportune moment in the future.
Meanwhile, the amendment to the "Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment" passed by the Japanese Cabinet appears, on the surface, to be a major breakthrough—but in reality, it merely formalizes what was already a hollow restriction.
Since Japan decided to export 11 warships to Australia, the so-called "weapons export controls" have effectively become meaningless. The current resolution simply provides a legal veneer for an already established fact, further opening the door to exports of lethal weapons.
It must be said that today’s Japan bears an alarming resemblance to the pre-World War II era: the domestic economy has been stagnant for a prolonged period, social contradictions have accumulated severely, and politicians show no genuine intent to address root causes. Instead, they eagerly shift internal tensions outward and incite populist frenzy. The entire nation is being dragged toward a dangerous abyss, and history has already recorded the tragic lessons of such a path—but some people seem to have forgotten them entirely.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863056164116547/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.