ID :
15087
Wed, 08/06/2008 - 11:49
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/15087
The shortlink copeid
Fukuda not to visit Yasukuni on Aug. 15, but 1 of his ministers will
TOKYO, Aug. 6 Kyodo - Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda suggested Tuesday that he will not visit Tokyo's war-related Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, but one of the 17 members of the newly reshuffled Cabinet,
Justice Minister Okiharu Yasuoka, clearly stated that he would go.
''Look at my behavior in the past,'' Fukuda, who took office in September last
year, said when asked whether he would visit the shrine, which China and South
Korea see as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
Fukuda, known for his dovish stance promoting amicable relations with China and
Japan's other Asian neighbors, has remained reluctant to visit the
controversial shrine, which honors Japanese Class-A war criminals along with
the war dead.
Among the 17 Cabinet ministers, Yasuoka said he was willing to visit the shrine
on Aug. 15. ''I've decided to make a visit to mourn the people who sacrificed
their precious lives in the war and to pray for lasting peace,'' he said.
Eleven ministers said they would not go, while four, including Health, Labor
and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoke and Seiko Noda, state minister handling
consumer affairs, were unclear.
Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, currently on a visit to India, told reporters
that he would refrain from going to the shrine on Aug. 15 because of a
''misunderstanding,'' not only in China and South Korea but also in the United
States, that Japanese officials pay homage to war leaders at the shrine.
Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said at a news conference
Tuesday that he did not visit the shrine while he was foreign minister and
''that is the answer'' to the question of whether he will visit the shrine next
week or not.
''It's up to the individual what kind of shrine one visits, but it is also
necessary to behave by taking into consideration various things from the
viewpoint of the chief Cabinet secretary as a public figure,'' Machimura said,
indicating his intention not to visit the shrine.
Fukuda's predecessor Shinzo Abe refused to make clear his visit or visits to
the shrine. On the anniversary last year when Abe was prime minister, Sanae
Takaichi, then state minister in charge of Okinawa and Northern Territories
issues, was the only Cabinet minister to visit the shrine.
On the Aug. 15 anniversary of the end of World War II, many politicians visit
Yasukuni Shrine. China, South Korea and other Asian countries have lodged
protests about visits to the Tokyo shrine by Japanese leaders.
Junichiro Koizumi, who served as prime minister from 2001 to 2006, outraged
other Asian countries with his repeated visits to Yasukuni.
==Kyodo
Justice Minister Okiharu Yasuoka, clearly stated that he would go.
''Look at my behavior in the past,'' Fukuda, who took office in September last
year, said when asked whether he would visit the shrine, which China and South
Korea see as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
Fukuda, known for his dovish stance promoting amicable relations with China and
Japan's other Asian neighbors, has remained reluctant to visit the
controversial shrine, which honors Japanese Class-A war criminals along with
the war dead.
Among the 17 Cabinet ministers, Yasuoka said he was willing to visit the shrine
on Aug. 15. ''I've decided to make a visit to mourn the people who sacrificed
their precious lives in the war and to pray for lasting peace,'' he said.
Eleven ministers said they would not go, while four, including Health, Labor
and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoke and Seiko Noda, state minister handling
consumer affairs, were unclear.
Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, currently on a visit to India, told reporters
that he would refrain from going to the shrine on Aug. 15 because of a
''misunderstanding,'' not only in China and South Korea but also in the United
States, that Japanese officials pay homage to war leaders at the shrine.
Meanwhile, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said at a news conference
Tuesday that he did not visit the shrine while he was foreign minister and
''that is the answer'' to the question of whether he will visit the shrine next
week or not.
''It's up to the individual what kind of shrine one visits, but it is also
necessary to behave by taking into consideration various things from the
viewpoint of the chief Cabinet secretary as a public figure,'' Machimura said,
indicating his intention not to visit the shrine.
Fukuda's predecessor Shinzo Abe refused to make clear his visit or visits to
the shrine. On the anniversary last year when Abe was prime minister, Sanae
Takaichi, then state minister in charge of Okinawa and Northern Territories
issues, was the only Cabinet minister to visit the shrine.
On the Aug. 15 anniversary of the end of World War II, many politicians visit
Yasukuni Shrine. China, South Korea and other Asian countries have lodged
protests about visits to the Tokyo shrine by Japanese leaders.
Junichiro Koizumi, who served as prime minister from 2001 to 2006, outraged
other Asian countries with his repeated visits to Yasukuni.
==Kyodo
