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August 15th 2008: Prime Minister Fukuda not expected to visit Yasukuni

Today is August 15th, the anniversary of Japan’s defeat in the Pacific War, and a day of remembrance for the Japanese who died during the conflict. While some groups will probably be visiting the Yasukuni Shrine today, Prime Minister Fukuda has indicated he will continue his policy of no Yasukuni visits. Reuters has noted that politicians and the public aren’t really focusing on nationalism and the Yasukuni issue this year, preferring to think about economic problems instead.

Tokyo Reporter has noted that extreme leftists will be holding demonstrations against the Emperor at a park near the shrine, a move that will no doubt provoke a response from extreme nationalist groups that like to hang out at the shrine every August 15th.

17 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - August 15, 2008 at 7:53 am

Categories: Politics Tags: japan, yasukuni

Kenny

Maybe this will finally make the Nationalist Koreans and Chinese to finally stop complaining about a formal apology.
http://witzl.blogspot.com/ Mary Witzl

Good for him.
edwardhasnewgoggles

Yasukuni is the most overrated temple in Japan, hands down.
Mister M

Those who hate Japan need to understand the mainpoint of visiting Yasukuni is not based on respect toward war criminals, but to pray for those souls who fought for Japan(incuding Koreans)and vows to never make a war again and to keep the contry safe and peaceful.
Dr.Yu

I long for the day Japanese will stop using Koreans as an excuse to legitimate their actions and show sing of maturity by assuming what they did.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I know that there were Koreans that fought in the Japanese imperial army (whether voluntarily or forced) but this is just a minor part of the whole thing, and it doesn’t legitimate or justify what Japan did during the war.

ponta

People don’t visit the war shrine and the war cemetery to legitimate the war. Do Korean visit national cemetery to say “hey you guys are great, you killed great number of north Koreans, and that was legitimate”? I don’t think so.
People visit the war shrine to pray for the war dead, to fulfil the promise to meet each other again at the shrine.

Dr.Yu

As a Korean it really bothers me when the Japanese talk about how Koreans died fighting as “voluntaries” for Japan, but they conveniently forget the rest of the Koreans that died victims of their actions.
These people are already dead. Respect them. Don’t use them for propaganda purpose.

ponta

I agree that it may be much better for the Japanese to set up the memorial or something to symbolize the remorse for the victim of the annexation.
But the war shrine is for the war dead; Japan and Korea had no war.

ponta

I guess I should study how other countries commemorate the victim of the colonization. BTW how do you commemorate the Vietnamese victim of Vietnam War in Korea?

Pingback: Yasukuni Shrine on August 15th - Uyoku vs. Police | Japan Probe
Dr.Yu

“Japan and Korea had no war.”

Your are right. Korea was colony of Japan but it was not consented, so we were technically at war.

“I guess I should study how other countries commemorate the victim of the colonization. BTW how do you commemorate the Vietnamese victim of Vietnam War in Korea?”

What are you talking about? Vietnam was never a colony of Korea. At what planet do you live?

The Overthinker

“Korea was colony of Japan but it was not consented, so we were technically at war.”

It did consent. Sure, it might have been a puppet government installed to be pro-Japanese, but it did consent. Unless by “Korea” you refer to some vague general masses, who didn’t have any say in anything anyway. And unless the government of Korea declared war on Japan Korea was not “technically” at war with Japan.

Dr.Yu

Oh sure, just like Japan consented the A bombs in Japan, right?
Your comment is so ridiculous that don’t deserve answer. You must be one of those radical Japanese nationalist that glorify the atrocities committed during the war.
Japanese pride doesn’t need to relay on those shameful actions to stand before the world. Grow up. It’s because of “patriots” like you that Japan still can’t settle its problems with its neighbors.

The Overthinker

You clearly have no idea about what you are talking about. You are clouding facts with emotionalist rants.

ponta

What are you talking about? Vietnam was never a colony of Korea. At what planet do you live?

I know. I am asking how Korea expresses the remorse for the victims your people massacred, not to forget the Vietnamese ” that died victims of their actions.” to borrow your words.
BTW How many times do you think you have communicated with a spaceman from another planet?—I am just curious.

Dr.Yu

It’s funny that you are asking this question.
You want to make the other accountable for what they did but as for your own actions you just pretend that nothing happened. It’s always the same move.
As for the Vietnamese, Korea is taking a sincere approach to the matter and trying to settle the problem. If we were like Japan we would just deny the truth and keep blaming the Vietnamese for their “fate”, and obviously lie, lie, lie and lie.
Do you remember “Hokoku Shrine”. That’s the way Japan celebrate the memory of those who they killed.
Just to refresh your memory, or teach you if your school book says nothing about it:

http://www.academy-kansai.com/english/program/neacyp/morningprayer.htm

ponta

You want to make the other accountable for what they did but as for your own actions you just pretend that nothing happened. It’s always the same move.

I guess　you are imagining things. I am just asking to learn from Korea.

As for the Vietnamese, Korea is taking a sincere approach to the matter and trying to settle the problem.

I am asking how Koreans commemorate the Vietnamese ” that died victims of their actions.” to borrow your words. I thought probably that is the way you want the Japanese to commemorate the Koreans that died victims of their actions.

If we were like Japan we would just deny the truth and keep blaming the Vietnamese for their “fate”

Again I am afraid you are imagining things. That makes me more curious about ho many times you think you have communicated with a spaceman from another planet.

August 15th 2008: Prime Minister Fukuda not expected to visit Yasukuni

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