Japan’s Abe skips Yasukuni Shrine visit to avoid ‘upsetting China’
- He will miss the ceremony for the 75th anniversary of Tokyo’s WWII surrender at the controversial shrine, which also honours Class A war criminals
- The prime minister’s decision comes amid speculation he is biding his time over a visit before stepping down next year
Yasukuni Shrine was founded in 1869 and is dedicated to more than 2.46 million men, women and children who died in war. It is controversial to neighbouring states because it is also considered the last resting place of the souls of 1,068 convicted war criminals, including 14 who were tried and convicted of Class A war crimes in World War II.
For nationalists, Abe’s decision to skip the annual ceremonies again – he last visited the shrine in December 2013 – is an affront.
“Of course he should be there to pay his respects and, to me, it is an outrage that we have to bend to foreign countries’ will at this time every year,” said Hiromichi Moteki, the acting secretary general of the far-right Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact.
“The leaders of other countries always pray for the souls of their war dead and I see this as a basic obligation to the nation. That our leader cannot do that makes me furious.”
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Abe has only visited the shrine once since he took office in December 2012. That visit was on December 26, 2013, a year to the day after his inauguration, to deliver a pledge to work toward everlasting peace.