Scores of Japanese Lawmakers Visit Shrine Vilified as Symbol of Militarism
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TOKYO — Scores of lawmakers, including a top adviser to Prime Minister Abe, attended a festival at a Tokyo shrine vilified by Japan’s Asian neighbors as a symbol of the country’s past militarism, officials said.
The overwhelming majority of the 84 lawmakers were members of Mr. Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, including one of his five special advisers and the deputy director of the Defense Agency, according to Hisanori Hiraoka, who is a secretary to ruling lawmaker Yasu Kano, co-organizer of the visit.
Assistants to another 90 lawmakers were also present at the shrine’s Autumn festival, standing in for their bosses.
Prime Minister Koizumi’s repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine during his administration ruptured Tokyo’s diplomatic ties with China and South Korea, which heavily suffered under Japan’s colonial aggression during the first half of the 1900s. The shrine honors Japanese war dead, including executed wartime leaders.
Mr. Abe has been a strong supporter of the Yasukuni visits and reportedly made a trip to the shrine in April.
But he has refused to confirm the reported visit and maintains a policy of neither confirming nor denying whether he will go to the shrine, apparently hoping to neither anger other Asian nations nor provoke a backlash from Japanese conservatives who back such visits.
Mr. Abe, who has vowed to improve political ties with China and South Korea, held the first summit in five years with his Chinese counterparts during his fence-mending trip earlier this month to Beijing and Seoul.
During the talks with President Hu of China, Mr. Abe apologized for Japan’s wartime brutality and said he would “act appropriately.”
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki defended the mass visit to the war shrine, which takes place several times a year. He said he believed the lawmakers followed their feelings and that the government stands by its commitment to deepen relations with China. He added that Japan has never promised to stop shrine visits.
“We understand the members of the government are going based on their own feelings while understanding the basic importance of Japan-China relations,” Mr. Shiozaki said. “Japan and China recognized and confirmed each others’ efforts to overcome political difficulties toward opening forward-looking bilateral relations. We hope to continue deepening relations between Japan and China in line with this position.”
Mr. Shiozaki added, “There was nothing conclusive about the Japan-China summit on going to or not going to Yasukuni Shrine.”