Yasukuni Shrine Visit

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has visited Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on the August 15 anniversary of the end of World War II.

He is the first Japanese prime minister to visit the shrine on this date since Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone in 1985.

Mr Koizumi arrived at the shrine at around 7:40 a.m. Wearing formal dress, he bowed before the altar at the main building, without following formal Shinto religious style. He signed the register as "Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi" and bought a flower as an offering.

He left the shrine in his security convoy, about 15 minutes later, without speaking to the media.

In each of his five previous annual visits to the shrine, Mr Koizumi said he visits to pay respects to those who died in wars and to pray that Japan will never go to war again.

China and South Korea have condemned his annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors not only those who died for Japan in past wars, but also enshrines top Japanese war criminals, most of whom were executed after World War II.

This is Mr Koizumi's sixth annual visit to the shrine, but the first on August 15. When first seeking the Liberal Democratic Party leadership, he promised to visit on this date. Last Wednesday, Mr Koizumi said he would honor that promise.

On Thursday, he said it made no difference when he would visit the shrine because the media would criticize any visit.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Japan
• Tokyo
• Yasukuni
• Shrine

[Shinamustbedown]

FUCKING KIMCIHI! THE NORTH AND SOUTH KIMICHI SHOULD BE VANISHED ON THE EARTH ALONG WITH THE FILTHY COMMIE SHINA!

[719n30track]

@hobbang2 pretty much, he's saying that history is that past and some of you people need to get over it. the japanese do their own stuff in japan, foreigners just need to get out of their business.

[hobbang2]

@sawdudeful Either you think WWII was a computer game or you are proud that your ancestors are rapists or you want to be a rapist and you think Japan won the war but felt kind so decided surrender. What is this comment? lol...

[1222kanta]

おい、てめぇーらやっていいことと悪ことあるだろ

[ghgusjjang]

Japanese = Criminal

[sawdudeful]

korea should just fuck off. get over it losers, we raped you guys. end of story.

[boogiefever1985]

The newsreader could have at least pronounced the Japanese Prime Minister's name correctly.

[ihavekankles]

Japanese people shouldn't apologize for what happened, that would be stupid. But what the Japanese did was as bad if not worse than what the Germans did. To deny what happened is pretty much evil however...

[2008venom]

@Bankai69b

Nazi war criminals accused for A) Crimees against Peace (aggression), B) Traditional war crimes, and C) Crimees against Humanity (Holocaust).

Japanese war criminals accused for A) Crime against Peace, B) Ordering Traditional war crime, and C) Carrying out Traditional war crime. There was NO Japanese war criminal sentenced Crime against Humanity at IMTFE, because Japanese never planned extermination of one nation, like as Nazis.

Nazi and Imperial Japan were different.

[Bankai69b]

@2008venom Hard evidence? Why don't you visit the IMTFE archives? Watch the History Channel documentaries? There is enough hard evidence to keep you up for days. Yet you as a troll refuses to accept them because you are too brainwashed by the Jap Media to think rationally...or maybe you just chose not to.There is really no reason for me to argue with a troll.

I am just glad that China overshadows Japan in terms of power and economy. Today Japan doesn't even stand a chance...not even a bit:-D