Why a resurgent Japan should absolutely scare everyone

For those who have never visited the Yasukuni Shrine, it is located in central Tokyo and within walking distance of the Imperial Palace. It is easily accessible by subway, bus and taxi. It is beautiful, tranquil and dignified. Admission was free when I first visited it some 20 years ago.

The Shinto shrine was established by Emperor Meiji to commemorate those who died in the service of Japan. In the late 1970s, the names of more than a dozen Class A war criminals (to the rest of the world) or national heroes (to the Japanese far right) were quietly added to the commemoration.

I highly recommend making the trip, both as a Chinese tourist and student of history. Back then, it shocked me because I found it difficult to reconcile the beauty of the place with the horrors of the second world war in the Asia-Pacific.

Every Japanese leader in recent decades has paid their respects to those heroes/villains in an unofficial or semi-official capacity.

Every diehard Japanese nationalist makes the easy pilgrimage – we are, after all, not talking about trekking all the way to Mecca or Jerusalem – at least once a year.

Given the solemnity of the occasion, I can almost appreciate how it could feel like a spiritual journey of sorts. I also understand that history is written by the victors, so someone who is a far-right nationalist can easily go down a historical rabbit hole in search of Japan’s lost imperial glory and feeling a deep urge to reverse the unjust humiliation of those executed heroes who sacrificed themselves for the nation.