 |
| Yasukuni Shrine (File Photo) |
By Clint Richards
Regular visits by officials not only anger Japan’s neighbors, but can erode the separation of church and state.
In the lead up to the 69th anniversary of end of the Second World War in the Pacific theater on Friday, there is much speculation about which Japanese public figures will visit Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, where almost 2.5 million of the country’s war dead are enshrined, among them 14 Class-A war criminals. The government has already leaked information that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will likely refrain from visiting this time, in an attempt to soothe ties with China and South Korea and increase the chance of meeting with their leaders. It is especially at times like this that the role of the shrine comes into focus, and how it plays into the country’s image in the region, and its pacifist Constitution.
The anniversary of Japan’s defeat in the Second World War is usually a popular time for the shrine. Aside from the normal visitors who throng there, many public officials make appearances. In the run-up to this year’s anniversary, the administrators of the shrine issued a newsletter highlighting the fact that on May 20 this year, 119 Maritime Self-Defense Force officers in full uniform made a yearly visit to the shrine just before leaving for extended exercises. While the Defense Ministry said the officers were there of their own accord, and only for “educational purposes,” the fact that this visit is a routine occurrence done in uniform before regular military drills commence is viewed by some as a contradiction of Article 20 of the Constitution, which states “the state and its organs shall refrain from religious education or any other religious activity.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat