Japan Times
READERS IN COUNCIL
February 13, 2005
In his Feb. 6 letter, “Leave Yasukuni issue alone,” Nick Appleby says Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine (Japan’s memorial to its war dead) to reinstall pride in the Japanese people-contrary to my earlier argument that Koizumi does so out of spiteful feelings for the Chinese.
In all due respect, Appleby’s opinion does not consider the divisive controversy surrounding Koizumi’s visits to the shrine. Witness the several lawsuits being pressed throughout Japan to get Koizumi to stop his visits to Yasukuni. Last April, the Fukuoka District Court ruled that his visits were unconstitutional. Japanese business leaders such as Fuji Xerox Co. Chairman Yotaro Kobayashi has spoken out against the visits, asserting that they have a detrimental impact on Japanese-Chinese relations. Considering the substantial amount of domestic and foreign opposition to his visits, it would be quite incredible if Koizumi still truly believed that his Yasukuni visits had the effect of reinstalling pride among the Japanese people.
Again, there are more noncontroversial ways to honor the war dead and those who served this country. There are also other ways to encourage national pride besides visiting a shrine that essentially glorifies war and Japan’s militaristic past. Unless Koizumi is an idiot (which I don’t think he is), he knows this. He also knows that his visits will continue to anger the Chinese no mater what explanation is given. It follows, then, that Koizumi is visiting Yasukuni simply to play the part of a bully and do his bit of ijime against the Chinese.
KO UNOKI
Tokyo