JAPAN: Tribute to war criminals

Defeat can be dangerous for the victors, as Germany between World Wars I and 2 showed. We should be on the lookout for signs of a desire for revenge. Japanese ministers paid homage at a controversial shrine for war dead on August 15, 58 years after Japan's World War Two surrender. Four ministers, including high-profile Trade Minister Takeo Hiranuma, visited Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which for many is a symbol of the militarist regime that led Japan into war. The shrine is dedicated to Japan's 2.5 million war dead since 1853, including a number of convicted war criminals. Besides the ministers, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, tipped by some as a future prime minister and known for his nationalist views, was in attendance, as were several lawmakers.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who has outraged neighboring states with past visits to the shrine, was not present.

Koizumi, who faces an election for the leadership of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on 20 September, marked the end of the war at secular ceremonies. His last visit to the Yasukuni shrine was in January. Observers say the LDP leadership election could be followed by an early general election later this year, which may have prompted some politicians to visit Yasukuni this time.

The latest visits by Japanese politicians took place just days after China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing warned Japanese leaders against going to the shrine. "Japanese leaders should definitely not visit the shrine where A-class war criminals are also enshrined. It is a universally held view of the international community," Li said (8/17/03) during a visit to Japan. The main reason for the controversy surrounding Yasukuni is that 14 convicted "Class A" war criminals, including wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, are among those enshrined there. (Reuters, 8/18/03)