Koizumi's war shrine visit strongly opposed
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-08-15 08:17 Commentary: No justification for shrine visit
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday paid his sixth visit
since taking office to the Yasukuni Shrine which honors Japan's notorious World
War II war criminals, arousing strong domestic and international criticism.
On a day which marks the 61st anniversary of Japan's capitulation in
World War II, Koizumi once again paid a visit to the shrine, in total disregard
of international justice.
Koizumi has come up with a number of lame
excuses to try to justify his visits to the shrine, asserting that it was a
matter of "personal freedom," it belonged to Japan's domestic affairs and had
nothing to do with Japan's relations with China. He also said his visit was a
peaceful prayer and that only China and South Korea opposed it.
Can there be
any justification in these arguments? The answer is no.
On April 18,
2001, when Koizumi was campaigning for the premiership, he vowed to visit the
shrine once he was elected, saying he would do so regardless of any kind
criticism.
Now people can see clearly that even before he became prime
minister, he already viewed his prospective shrine visits as of political
behavior rather than personal one. As a government leader, Koizumi's shrine
visits reflect the official stance on the wars of aggression Japan launched some
60 years ago, and on the Class A war criminals.
Therefore, it is totally
irresponsible for him to describe this matter of grave importance and principle
as one of "personal freedom."
Do his visits belong to Japan's domestic
affairs only and have nothing to do with Japan's relationship with China?
Definitely not.
The Yasukuni Shrine honors 2.5 million Japanese war
dead, including about 1,000 convicted war criminals during World War II, 14 of
whom were wartime leaders convicted by an Allied tribunal as "Class A" war
criminals.
The war dead including war criminals honored there were
responsible for the most atrocious crimes during Japan's war of aggression
against its Asian neighbors.
The wars of aggression inflicted
unparalleled disasters on the Chinese people and people of other Asian
countries. The shrine visit is a matter that goes far beyond the category of
Japan's domestic affairs and Asian countries and their people have every right
to urge Koizumi to stop his visits to the shrine in his capacity as prime
minister.
How could the Chinese people, who suffered the most in the
wars, be expected to welcome a Japanese prime minister who has repeatedly paid
visits to the shrine, hurting the feelings of the Chinese people? And How can it
be said that his visits have no negative impact on the development of the
friendly relations and cooperation between China and Japan?
Koizumi said
only China and South Korea opposed his shrine visits. But the fact is that his
visits have drawn widespread international criticism.
Henry J. Hyde,
chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on International
Relations, had sent a letter in April to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, demanding
Koizumi not be invited to deliver a speech at Congress during his June visit to
the United States, unless Tokyo pledged the Japanese leader wouldn't pay any
shrine visit after returning home.
Hyde is just one of the many
politicians and political dignitaries around the world who stand firmly against
the visits to the Yasukuni Shrine by the Japanese leaders. Therefore, it is
absurd for Koizumi to say that only China and South Korea oppose his visits to
the shrine.
As a matter of fact, many Japanese people and people of
Asian countries, as well as politicians, the public and media have added their
voices to the chorus of condemnation worldwide against the shrine visits.
Are the shrine visits "for the sake of peace?" Absolutely not.
The prime minister's visit to the Chidorigafuchi Cemetery of the War
Dead, his presence in the memorial ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had
never raised any objection from the international community.
But the
Yasukuni Shrine had been a national establishment symbolizing Japanese
militarism before the war.
There is a corner in the shrine that
resembles a military museum, where everything on display is aimed at promoting
the distorted idea that the " Great East Asian War was a war for self-defense."
The Class A war criminals, whose hands were stained with the blood of
peoples of the Asian countries, are honored there as "heroes." The shrine tries
to convey the impression that peace in today's Japan has been built on the basis
of their "sacrifices."
This is definitely a deception against the whole
world and a profanation of the human conscience.
Koizumi's shrine visit
has practically encouraged those far-rightists who still indulge in the pipe
dream of the "Great East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere."
Another purpose of
Koizumi's shrine visits is to win over some voters by showing off his acts of
ignoring criticism from China and South Korea.
Koizumi's Tuesday visit
to the Yasukuni Shrine has inevitably further tarnished his personal image among
the Asian peoples, and he is destined to become a negative character in the
history of Japan's relations with its Asian neighbors.
Sino-Japanese
relations have soured in recent years, which has caused concerns among the
peoples of the two countries and drawn the international attention.
Neither China nor the Japanese people should bear the responsibility for
the situation. The sticking point is Koizumi's insistence on visiting the
shrine, which has hurt the feelings of the peoples of the victim countries of
Japan's aggression, including China, and damaged the political foundation of the
Sino-Japanese ties.
The Chinese government has always valued China's
relations with Japan and has made unremitting efforts to improve and expand
them, believing that the Sino-Japanese relationship is one of the most important
bilateral relationships for both sides.
The Japanese side should make
concerted efforts to clear the political obstacles to the development of
Sino-Japanese ties so as to bring them back on normal track at an early
date.
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