Yasukuni Shrine Visits — Mourning or War Glorification?

Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo's Chiyoda ward was established in 1869 by Emperor Meiji, enshrining approximately 2.46 million war dead as "eirei (heroic spirits)" from wars since the Meiji Restoration.

Why Is It Controversial?

The shrine itself isn't the core issue — the secret enshrinement of 14 Class-A war criminals in 1978 is. Leaders like Tojo Hideki (PM), convicted at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, were enshrined alongside ordinary soldiers as deities.

When Japanese PMs visit Yasukuni, Korea and China interpret it as "paying respects to war criminals."

Korean/Chinese View

• Yasukuni visits legitimize the war of aggression and honor war criminals

• The attached Yushukan museum glorifies the Pacific War as a "war of Asian liberation"

• Korean and Taiwanese soldiers were enshrined without family consent

Japanese Views (Diverse)

Pro-visit (conservatives): Mourning war dead is every nation's right, like Arlington National Cemetery. Only 14 of 2.46M enshrined are Class-A criminals.

Anti-visit (progressives): With Class-A criminals enshrined, visits send a message affirming war leaders. Diplomatic cost is too high. As a religious corporation (Shinto), it also violates separation of church and state.

Separation theory: Removing Class-A criminals would solve the issue, but Yasukuni refuses citing Shinto doctrine that "once enshrined spirits cannot be separated." Emperor Showa reportedly stopped visiting after the 1978 enshrinement (Tomita Memo).

Core Issue

Yasukuni's essence is the collision between "freedom to mourn" and "historical awareness." Japan claims the right to honor war dead; Korea and China see honoring war criminals as proof of absent reflection on the war.