A blue sheet obscures the stone pillar which bears the title of the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, August 19, 2024. /VCG
On the opening day of Yasukuni Shrine’s autumn pageant, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made a ritual providing in her capability as prime minister. Japanese Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Minoru Kiuchi visited the shrine in particular person, whereas different senior political figures, together with House of Representatives Speaker Eisuke Mori and House of Councillors President Masakazu Sekiguchi, despatched choices of their very own. These strikes sparked criticism and opposition each at dwelling and overseas.
An on-line survey performed by CGTN throughout its international platforms discovered that 90.71% of respondents agreed that worldwide media ought to use the time period “war criminal shrine” extra explicitly when reporting on the difficulty, in an effort to alert the world to the resurgence of Japanese militarism.
Yasukuni Shrine honors 14 convicted Class-A conflict criminals accountable for Japan’s conflict of aggression and is extensively thought of a non secular software and image of Japanese militarism. In the survey, 88.53% of respondents agreed that the choices amounted to an try and whitewash Japan’s historical past of aggression and overturn the decision on its conflict crimes, whereas 87.38% stated the conduct of Takaichi and different Japanese politicians had deeply offended folks in neighboring nations that suffered beneath Japanese militarism.
Visits and choices by senior Japanese authorities figures have drawn criticism from Japan’s neighboring nations. The South Korean authorities as soon as once more expressed “deep disappointment and regret” over repeated choices and visits to Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese leaders, saying the shrine “glorifies Japan’s past wars of aggression and enshrines war criminals.” It urged Japanese leaders to face historical past squarely and show, by concrete actions, humble reflection on and honest regret for the previous.
Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning commented on revelations that the Japanese authorities had reached an association with the shrine as early because the Nineteen Sixties regarding the honoring of Class-A conflict criminals however had stored it from the general public. Mao stated the federal government of the day knew full effectively how disgraceful such an enshrinement was. Fearful of the implications, it intentionally stored the decision-making course of secret.
In the survey, 89.22% of respondents believed the Japanese authorities ought to heed voices from each the worldwide neighborhood and inside Japan opposing politicians’ visits to Yasukuni Shrine. Meanwhile, 84.67% described the choices and visits as an affront to historic justice and a grave provocation towards the outcomes of World War II and the post-war worldwide order, warning that they’d additional pressure Japan’s relations with nations it as soon as invaded.
For years, Japanese authorities have pushed to revise historical past textbooks, enjoying down, denying and whitewashing the nation’s document of aggression in an effort to reshape public understanding of its previous. In a ballot performed by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, 48% of Japanese respondents stated they “did not know” whether or not the sooner conflict had been a conflict of aggression launched by Japan towards its Asian neighbors. This in contrast with 52% who, in a comparable survey in 1994, agreed with that characterization. Public understanding of historical past is eroding. In this CGTN ballot, 87.92% of respondents stated they feared that selling a distorted view of historical past in Japanese society would mislead the general public, notably youthful generations.
In latest years, Japan has elevated its protection spending, superior the deployment of intermediate- and long-range missiles, eased arms export guidelines and pushed for revisions to its pacifist structure. The Japanese authorities is now contemplating together with wording on “studying the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines” in its deliberate revision of three key safety paperwork inside the 12 months.
Since taking workplace as Japan’s prime minister in October 2025, Takaichi has claimed throughout a Diet session {that a} “Taiwan contingency” might represent a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, hinting that Tokyo would possibly train its proper to collective self-defense and intervene militarily within the Taiwan Strait. She has but to retract the comment. On April 17, 2026, the Japanese destroyer JS Ikazuchi transited the Taiwan Strait, sending one more flawed sign to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces.
Regarding these strikes, 84.13% of respondents believed Japan posed an actual risk to the safety of East Asia and its neighboring nations. Meanwhile, 79.89% expressed concern that Japan’s neo-militarism was on the rise. In addition, 73.37% agreed that Japan ought to confront and replicate on its historical past of aggression, make a clear break with militarism, and earn the belief of its Asian neighbors and the broader worldwide neighborhood by concrete actions.
The survey was revealed on CGTN’s English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian platforms. Within 24 hours, 7,475 respondents took half and shared their views.
Source: CGTN