Kerry visit to Tokyo cemetery seen as US message over Yasukuni Shrine
John Kerry's laying of wreath at war graves cemetery in Tokyo seen as an example to hosts, whose visits to war shrine stir regional tensions
US Secretary of State John Kerry laid a wreath at a Tokyo cemetery yesterday, in an apparent American attempt to nudge Japan away from lionising its controversial Yasukuni Shrine.
Kerry and Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel became the most senior foreign dignitaries to pay their respects at Chidori ga Fuchi, a cemetery near Tokyo's Imperial Palace, since the Argentine president in 1979.
What's worrying America most is the fierce row among Japan, South Korea and China over the Yasukuni issue. Visiting a more neutral place may be a message from Americans
The visit had been instigated by the US and had not come about as a result of a Japanese invitation, a cemetery official said.
US defence officials said the cemetery was Japan's "closest equivalent" to the US military's Arlington National Cemetery.
That view contradicts hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has likened Yasukuni, where 14 "Class A" war criminals are among the 2.5 million enshrined, to the US national cemetery in Virginia.
During a visit to the US in May, he told Foreign Affairs magazine that the shrine, seen throughout East Asia as a symbol of Japan's militarism, was a tribute to those "who lost their lives in the service of their country".
"I think it's quite natural for a Japanese leader to offer prayer for those who sacrificed their lives for their country, and I think this is no different from what other world leaders do," he said.