File photograph of protesters collaborating in a rally on the eightieth anniversary of Japan’s unconditional give up in World War II in Tokyo, Japan, August 15, 2025. /Xinhua
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday despatched a financial providing often called “tamagushi” to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine on the final day of its three-day autumn competition, Kyodo News reported.
Takaichi made the providing to the shrine in Tokyo by way of senior officers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
On the identical day, land minister Tatsunori Ibayashi visited the infamous shrine, which honors 14 convicted Japanese Class-A conflict criminals from World War II, as did LDP election chief Yasutoshi Nishimura and a cross-party lawmakers’ group.
Earlier on Saturday, Takaichi despatched a potted plant providing often called “masakaki” to the infamous shrine, an emblem of Japanese militarism and wartime aggression, underneath her title as prime minister, because the shrine’s three-day autumn competition started, Kyodo News reported.
On Saturday, some Japanese cupboard members and lawmakers additionally visited the war-linked shrine.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Japan on Saturday condemned the Japanese politicians, saying it doesn’t matter what excuses Japanese politicians provide, their actions can not conceal their actual intentions of whitewashing conflict criminals, masking up wartime atrocities, distorting historic info and paving the way in which for accelerated remilitarization.
Meng Xiaoxu, a researcher on the Institute of Japanese Studies on the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, mentioned in an interview with China Media Group that Takaichi’s repeated choices to the war-linked shrine have been eroding Japan’s postwar anti-war consensus and undermining the legitimacy of its “Peace Constitution,” paving the way in which for the nation’s remilitarization.
Meng mentioned Takaichi’s underlying technique was to consolidate help amongst right-wing voters at house and lay the groundwork for constitutional revision and elevated protection spending, whereas adopting a comparatively restrained type of providing to keep away from triggering a direct diplomatic disaster overseas.
Against the backdrop of Japan’s latest acceleration of remilitarization, Meng mentioned Takaichi was testing the bounds of neighboring international locations whereas steadily easing navy constraints, looking for to step by step break free from Japan’s postwar framework.
The Yasukuni Shrine has lengthy been a supply of diplomatic rigidity between Japan and neighboring international locations. Visits and ritual choices by Japanese officers on the shrine have repeatedly drawn home and worldwide criticism, significantly from international locations similar to China and South Korea, whose folks suffered significantly underneath Japan’s wartime aggression.
Source: CGTN