A visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, a Shinto shrine in Tokyo Japan

The Yasukuni Shrine was one of three places requested to visit, the other two being: the fishing village of Taiji maligned in the questionable film "The Cove," and attend a Hanshin Tigers baseball game in Osaka.

The Yasukuni Shinto shrine is dedicated to the soldiers and others who died on behalf of Japan, registering near two and a half million names enshrined. A visit to this shrine by foreigners are notable Japanese brings with it scathing criticism from some neighboring nations. Their complaint is out of the two and a half million spirits honored at the Yasukuni Shrine; around one thousand were convicted as war criminals by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE or known as Tokyo Trails or Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal). Should be noted the legitimacy of tribunal is in question by many.

Discounting the one-thousand, what about the other over two million spirits? What about those who died during World War One when Japan was part of the Allied front (a U.S.A. ally)?

What happened sixty-five years ago belongs in the past to be studied, and determined not to be repeated, however no reason to be critical and hateful in this 21st century.

Upon entering the Shrine grounds one cleanses with water. Enters a building to sign the guest book. Enter another room for further cleansing and orientation. Down a corridor to participate in a short Shinto prayer on to the main temple. Once there with a Shinto priest, a ceremony, and prayers. Then back down the corridor, sip some sake, handed a sake bowl and exited.

All very abbreviated and innocent, yet so much controversy of such a simple and dignified event.

Yasukuni Shrine 靖国神社 or 靖國神社 Yasukuni Jinja Shinto shrine Chiyoda Tokyo Japan Symbolic Registry of Divinities enshrined men and women International Military Tribunal for the Far East IMTFE Tokyo Trials Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal Texas Daddy Texasdaddy propagandabuster propaganda buster tony

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[TKKTism]

@PropagandaBuster. Yasukuni shrine hosts not only soldiers who responded to their country's call of arm but also the instigators of Pearl Harbour's attack.

Japanese politicians resisted IJN bombing Pearl Harbor but its military were masterminds behind the event. Military figures, like Tojo, were instrumental with pushing Japan to attack the US. Tojo and these figures are also honoured in the shrine. So technically, what you implied about the shrine with what you said at 3:38 doesn't make sense.

[PropagandaBuster]

@TKKTism - So basically you selected to ignore 2:36 – 2:52?

[myquestionisthis]

Mr. PB, I have just made a youtube account so I can leave some comments in channels such as yours.

Your video on the visit to Yasukni Shrine intrigues me.

My question is: aren't you an American? (and you seem like a patriotic American too). Then why do you visit the Shrine of soldiers ( war criminals or not) who attacked America and killed so many of your good fellow countrymen?

It just doesn't seem normal to me...

[PropagandaBuster]

@myquestionisthis - The spirits in the shrine go back to I think 1867 with about two and a half million spirits. Not all of whom were in WW2. In addition they were fighting for their nation, like patriotic soldiers do the world over. However main reason, WW2 ended 66 years ago and so did the hate. The USA and Japan are trusted friends and allies today. I went to show respect to a trusted friend of the USA. Showing love and respect to a friend does seem normal to me.

[linkthechink]

@PropagandaBuster

Hi Tony: wouldn't you agree that a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetary could potentially entomb anonymous deceased that may in the course of duty for the nation may have participated in activities we as Americans might be less than proud of?? for example, suppose Lt. William Calley was k.i.a. post My Lai his body unidentifiable and his remains entombed. we just don't know do we. what we do know is that the men entombed served for us!!!!

[PropagandaBuster]

@linkthechink - Amen, that is the exact sentiment I expressed when I visited the Yasukuni Shrine.

[teacherlove70]

Tell me folks, what is the problem on visiting Yasukuni. I understand the feelings of other Asians, but they should also remember that there are 2 million people who are enshined there and we should not ignore them at all. Another thing, who can garatee that those buried in Arrigton Cementery or Cementery in Korea or China are all good people? All I can see is the jealous feelings of those Koreans and Chinese upon Japan.

[TKKTism]

@PropagandaBuster. No, I didn't ignore what you said. I am simply pointing out that Yasukuni Shrine also honored your called "politicians" who brought Japan into conflict with the US. So it's far from simply a shrine honoring those who answered the call of arms of their country as you implied in your video. From what you said in 3:38, you are implying the shrine has nothing to do with those who instigated the war.

[tigerjonn]

@PropagandaBuster Would you go to a Nazi war shrine? To respect the lost NAZIS who fought and died for their lives?

WOULD IT BE RIGHT FOR GERMANY TO EVEN MAKE A NAZI WAR SHRINE TO WORSHIP NAZIS? Fucken ridiculous!

[googogoo1]

@transvirus

Koreea is only the little peninsula between china and japan. There was no battle in WW2. But koreeans in half of the korean peninsula belives whole asia have been korea.

And koreeans are regarded coraborators of Axis by out of koreean peninsula. Korean criminals were also excuted by Allied forces. Dont Koreate history. According to Allied forces there about 1000 criminals among 2,500,000 enshrined war dead. The rate is only 0.04%. And they are not war criminals in Japan.

[transvirus]

wait what? according to Wikipedia most of the dead souls that are enshrined are soldiers who died in WW2 and over conflict with china and korea in the past but more than 2 million soldiers died in WW2.

[transvirus]

@teacherlove70 lol jealousy over a shrine? Are you kiddning me? Why would we jealous over a shrine that is used to worship war criminals? You obviously cannot understand how we feel.

[theexpliotedforlife]

@ShindentheGreat Japanese killed far more than 5-10 million.

[theexpliotedforlife]

At the end of WW2 there was a list of over 300,000 names of Japanese servicemen who could have been charged with Class B (war crimes) and Class C (Crimes against humanity) in the Tokyo tribunal. Of which only 5,700 were convicted and sentenced. 920 were executed, 475 received life in prison, 1018 were acquitted and the rest got varying prison sentences. 14 Class A and 1,068 Class B/C war criminals are enshrined in Yasukuni. These men are responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people.

[Bloodlovefreak]

The fact that the right wing nuts in Japan revere the place and demonstrate there should tell you all there is to know about the place.

"Now the person who you should have a problem with are the politicians that send our nations to war, not the poor soldiers that go off in defence of their nation"

The Nuremberg Trials demolished the "just following orders" defence. Tony is either willfully ignorant of the serious context of war crimes he is talking about or something much nastier.