Japanese lawmakers visit war-linked Yasukuni Shrine en masse
Updated: 2016-04-22 10:02
(Xinhua)
|
|||||||||
A group of bipartisan lawmakers visits the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on April 22, 2016, during its spring festival.[Photo/IC] |
TOKYO -- A group of lawmakers on Friday visited the controversial war-linked Yasukuni Shrine which stands as a symbol of Japan's militarism and honors its war dead including criminals convicted by an international tribunal.
The visit by the group of lawmakers to celebrate the shrine's spring festival, follows Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe making a ritual offerings to the notorious shrine in Tokyo and dedicating a "masakaki" tree a day earlier.
Labor and Welfare Minister Yasuhisa Shiozaki, House of Representatives Speaker Tadamori Oshima and House of Councillors President Masaaki Yamazaki made similar offerings.
Seiichi Eto, Abe's special advisor, and Liberal Democratic Party and lower house member, Keiji Furuya, meanwhile, visited the contentious war-linked shrine in person.
Gestures, whether made in person or made by proxy at the war shrine, draw the ire of Japan's neighboring countries, particularly China and South Korea, who both suffered immeasurably at the hands of Japan's brutal militarism before and during WWII and were both quick to denounce the visits and the offerings on Thursday.
The controversial war shrine honors the souls of some 2.5 million war dead, including more than 1,000 war criminals convicted by a post WWII court, including 14 Class-A war criminals as adjudicated by the war crimes tribunal.
For the victim countries of Japan's wartime atrocities, the shrine is a living reminder of the horrors inflicted by the Japanese Imperial Army during its time occupying countries, particularly in East Asia, and a symbol of ultra-rightwing defiance and a stronghold of contemporary historical revisionism, militarism and an imperialistic mentality.
Abe himself has not visited the shrine since he paid an ill-advised tribute there in person in December 2013, the fallout of which saw Japan's ties with its closest neighbors effectively disintegrate and the Japanese leader strongly reprimanded by the United States for inflaming regional tensions.
Related Stories
China criticizes Abe's offering to Yasukuni Shrine 2016-04-22 01:59
Japanese PM makes offering to notorious war-linked shrine 2016-04-21 09:37
China urges Japan to remember history after Abe's wife visits war shrine 2015-12-29 20:01
Japanese gov't tight-lipped on shrine explosion 2015-11-24 17:16
S.Korea denounces Abe for making offering to controversial war shrine 2015-10-18 21:50
Two Japanese Cabinet ministers visit notorious Yasukuni Shrine 2015-10-18 13:54
Today's Top News
Ericsson reshapes and sees Q1 profit rising
Snowden sues Norway to seek safe travel to get prize
Nation's drones are in demand
Beacons and gun salutes as Queen turns 90
Buckingham Palace seeks royal social media operators
Nearly 180,000 migrants reach EU by sea in 2016
Chinese group likely to seal AC Milan takeover deal
Global trade in fake goods worth nearly $500b: Study
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
Season of the locust eaters |
Humble bicyclist becomes Beijing nighthawk |
Chinese must adapt to UK 'study shock' |
Seeking stars from hollywood |
Riding on emotions |
When the Bard met his Chinese match |