TOKYO—Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refrained from visiting a Tokyo war shrine Friday on the 69th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II, in an apparent move to avoid further inflaming ties with China and South Korea.
Mr. Abe sent an aide to the shrine with an offering of an envelope containing money. His decision to stay away from the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 Class-A war criminals and 2.5 million war dead, is considered a reflection of his desire to improve ties with Beijing to pave way for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Beijing and Seoul consider the shrine a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
The prime minister's surprise visit to Yasukuni in December drew harsh protests from Beijing and Seoul, exacerbating ties already strained by territorial disputes and differences over wartime history. Mr. Abe has yet to hold a one-on-one summit with leaders of the two nations. It also irked officials in Washington.
"The peace and prosperity we enjoy today are built on the sacred sacrifice made by our war dead," Mr. Abe said at the government's official memorial service Friday, which was attended by about 5,000 people, mostly elderly family members who lost their husbands or fathers during the war. "We intend to face the history humbly and take lessons to heart."
Still, Mr. Abe didn't touch on Japan's role as an aggressor in the war or use an expression of remorse or atonement, as some of his predecessors had done.
While skipping Yasukuni, Mr. Abe paid a visit to the Chidorigafuchi national cemetery dedicated to unknown soldiers. This secular memorial came under the spotlight when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel laid flowers there during their visit to Tokyo in October. Foreign-policy experts interpreted their gesture as a gentle nudge to Mr. Abe to seek alternative ways to honor Japan's war dead.
Three junior cabinet members visited Yasukuni on Friday— Keiji Furuya, state minister for North Korean abductions, Internal Affairs Minister Yoshitaka Shindo, and Tomomi Inada, minister in charge of regulatory reform and "Cool Japan" strategy.
China blasted Friday's ceremonies with a government statement and in editorials published in state media.
"Their acts once again demonstrate the Japanese government's wrongful attitude towards historical issues. China is firmly opposed to that," according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Beijing.
Stopping short of naming Mr. Abe, the government statement said a sound and stable Sino-Japan relationship can develop "only when Japan honestly faces up to and deeply reflects upon its past of aggression, and truly makes a clean break with militarism."
China's state news agency, Xinhua, said in an editorial that it didn't view Mr. Abe's absence from Yasukuni as a conciliatory gesture "given the recent barrage of remarks and moves by Japan's rightist politicians which lay bare their unrepentant attitude" toward World War II. With Mr. Abe at the helm, it added, Japan "has once again embarked on a precarious path and blatantly challenged the postwar international order of peace. By doing this, Japan is sowing the seed of another war."
A South Korean foreign ministry spokesman said Seoul "can't help but deplore Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's fresh tributary payment," as well as visits to the shrine by Japanese officials and lawmakers.
In total, 83 Japanese lawmakers visited the shrine, slightly fewer than last year.
In what has become a familiar sight, the shrine was packed with tour groups from around Japan, who posed for group photos in front of the shrine's main gate before going in. People dressed in green military fatigues milled around, while families took pictures in front of the main gate holding the imperial Japanese flag.
Tsuyako Tanaka, a 71-year-old yoga instructor, said she visits the shrine every year. "So many of my ancestors are enshrined here, including my father's brother," she said.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/japa...0001424052702304414104580092673814417854.html
Mr. Abe sent an aide to the shrine with an offering of an envelope containing money. His decision to stay away from the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 Class-A war criminals and 2.5 million war dead, is considered a reflection of his desire to improve ties with Beijing to pave way for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Beijing and Seoul consider the shrine a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
The prime minister's surprise visit to Yasukuni in December drew harsh protests from Beijing and Seoul, exacerbating ties already strained by territorial disputes and differences over wartime history. Mr. Abe has yet to hold a one-on-one summit with leaders of the two nations. It also irked officials in Washington.
"The peace and prosperity we enjoy today are built on the sacred sacrifice made by our war dead," Mr. Abe said at the government's official memorial service Friday, which was attended by about 5,000 people, mostly elderly family members who lost their husbands or fathers during the war. "We intend to face the history humbly and take lessons to heart."
Still, Mr. Abe didn't touch on Japan's role as an aggressor in the war or use an expression of remorse or atonement, as some of his predecessors had done.
While skipping Yasukuni, Mr. Abe paid a visit to the Chidorigafuchi national cemetery dedicated to unknown soldiers. This secular memorial came under the spotlight when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel laid flowers there during their visit to Tokyo in October. Foreign-policy experts interpreted their gesture as a gentle nudge to Mr. Abe to seek alternative ways to honor Japan's war dead.
Three junior cabinet members visited Yasukuni on Friday— Keiji Furuya, state minister for North Korean abductions, Internal Affairs Minister Yoshitaka Shindo, and Tomomi Inada, minister in charge of regulatory reform and "Cool Japan" strategy.
China blasted Friday's ceremonies with a government statement and in editorials published in state media.
"Their acts once again demonstrate the Japanese government's wrongful attitude towards historical issues. China is firmly opposed to that," according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Beijing.
Stopping short of naming Mr. Abe, the government statement said a sound and stable Sino-Japan relationship can develop "only when Japan honestly faces up to and deeply reflects upon its past of aggression, and truly makes a clean break with militarism."
China's state news agency, Xinhua, said in an editorial that it didn't view Mr. Abe's absence from Yasukuni as a conciliatory gesture "given the recent barrage of remarks and moves by Japan's rightist politicians which lay bare their unrepentant attitude" toward World War II. With Mr. Abe at the helm, it added, Japan "has once again embarked on a precarious path and blatantly challenged the postwar international order of peace. By doing this, Japan is sowing the seed of another war."
A South Korean foreign ministry spokesman said Seoul "can't help but deplore Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's fresh tributary payment," as well as visits to the shrine by Japanese officials and lawmakers.
In total, 83 Japanese lawmakers visited the shrine, slightly fewer than last year.
In what has become a familiar sight, the shrine was packed with tour groups from around Japan, who posed for group photos in front of the shrine's main gate before going in. People dressed in green military fatigues milled around, while families took pictures in front of the main gate holding the imperial Japanese flag.
Tsuyako Tanaka, a 71-year-old yoga instructor, said she visits the shrine every year. "So many of my ancestors are enshrined here, including my father's brother," she said.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/japa...0001424052702304414104580092673814417854.html
