A New York Times editorial noted that it had been seven years since a sitting Japanese prime minister visited the Yasukuni Shrine, "a recognition at the highest levels that the site is symbolically repugnant to China and South Korea and that such a visit is detrimental to relations with them."
Abe's visit to the Yasukuni shrine on Thursday that honors Japan's war dead, including war criminals from World War II, is part of his agenda to "pursue his goal of transforming the Japanese military from one that is strictly for territorial defense to one that can go to war anywhere," said the editorial titled "Risky nationalism in Japan".
Abe's ultimate goal is to rewrite Japan's pacifist Constitution, which restricts the right to go to war, it said, adding that it is a move Japanese Emperor Akihito disapproves.
A few days before Abe's visit to the shrine, the emperor, in comments marking his 80th birthday, expressed his "deep appreciation" toward those who wrote the post-1945 constitution in order to preserve the "precious values of peace and democracy," the editorial said.
It also called on the U.S. government to send a clear message to Abe that his agenda is "not in the region's interest", as Japan 's military adventures are not possible without U.S. support.
"What is needed in Asia is trust among states, and his actions undermine that trust," the editorial said.
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>>>>>>>«Προσεκτική» επέτειος της παράδοσης της Ιαπωνίας<<<<<<<
--------------------A Wall Street Journal editorial took notice that Abe's visit triggered criticism from China, South Korea and the U.S., which it said is "a strange coalition that highlights the enduring delicacy of East Asian politics nearly 70 years after World War II."
It is "troubling enough" that some senior Japanese officials persist in whitewashing the truth about chemical weapons, sex slavery and other wartime atrocities, said the editorial titled " Shinzo Abe's Yasukuni Offense."
Japan's offenses against truth become strategic liabilities when they hurt the ability of like-minded states to promote a peaceful, liberal regional order, it added.
http://english.cntv.cn/20131228/100831.shtml
28/12/13
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Why Would Shinzo Abe Visit The Yasukuni Shrine? από NewsyVideos
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Japan minister follows Abe to war shrine, pouring salt on wound for China...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - A Japanese cabinet member visited a shrine seen by critics as a symbol of Tokyo's wartime aggression on Wednesday, pouring salt on a fresh wound after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's pilgrimage there last week drew sharp criticism from China and South Korea.
Internal Affairs Minister Yoshitaka Shindo said he thought his visit to the Yasukuni Shrine was unlikely to become a diplomatic issue, Kyodo news agency reported.
But Beijing and Seoul have repeatedly expressed anger over politicians' visits to Yasukuni, where Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals by an Allied tribunal after World War Two are honored along with those who died in battle.
Both China and Korea suffered under Japanese rule, with parts of China occupied from the 1930s and Korea colonized from 1910 to 1945. Japanese leaders have apologized in the past but many in China and South Korea doubt the sincerity of the apologies, partly because of contradictory remarks by politicians.
China condemned Wednesday's visit, which it said exposed Japan's war crimes and attempts to "challenge the outcomes of the world's anti-fascist war".
"The Chinese people and people of other Asian nations will not allow Japan to drive history in reverse. We solemnly urge Japan to reflect upon history and change course," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement posted on the ministry's website.
Underscoring the deteriorating ties between Asia's two biggest economies, China said its leaders would not meet Abe after he visited Yasukuni on Thursday, the first visit by a serving Japanese prime minister since 2006...................http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/01/us-japan-shrine-idUSBREA0003R20140101?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
1/1/14
Japan's Abe wants to explain shrine visit to China, Korea...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday he wanted to meet Chinese and South Korean leaders to explain why he visited a controversial war shrine, seen by critics as a symbol of Tokyo's wartime aggression.
Abe's December 26 visit to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals are enshrined along with other war dead, infuriated China and South Korea and prompted concern from the United States, a key ally.
"Seeking dialogue with China and South Korea is extremely important for the peace and security of this region," Abe told a news conference after paying a customary New Year's visit to a shrine in the central Japanese city of Ise.
"I would like to explain my true intentions regarding my visit to Yasukuni. There aren't any direct approaches being made to set up such meetings at present, but the door for dialogue is open, as always," Abe added, using what has become a standard phrase regarding summits with his northeast Asian neighbors.
China and South Korea have been especially touchy about visits to the shrine by serving Japanese prime ministers and Abe is the first leader to pay homage at Yasukuni while in office since 2006.
Both China and Korea suffered under Japanese rule, with parts of China occupied in the 1930s and Korea colonized from 1910 to 1945.............http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/06/us-japan-abe-shrine-idUSBREA0508C20140106?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
6/1/14