Due to COVID-19, Japanese Lawmakers Will Not Visit Yasukuni Shrine This Spring

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun] Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), Japanese lawmakers have decided not to visit Yasukuni Shrine. Lawmakers have traditionally visited Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese war criminals are enshrined, every spring.

According to Kyodo News on the 12th, the cross-party lawmakers' group called the "Parliamentary Group for Visiting Yasukuni Shrine Together" (hereafter referred to as the Parliamentary Group) has decided to cancel the planned visit to Yasukuni Shrine during the Spring Grand Festival (Chunkei Eitaisei) scheduled for the 21st to 22nd. A representative of the Parliamentary Group cited the spread of COVID-19 as the reason for canceling the visit.

The Spring Grand Festival is a ritual ceremony held in spring and, along with the Autumn Grand Festival, is known as an important event at Yasukuni Shrine. The current leader of the Parliamentary Group is Hidehisa Otsuji, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Representatives and former Vice President of the House of Councillors. Since its establishment in 1981, the Parliamentary Group has collectively visited Yasukuni Shrine during the two annual festivals in spring and autumn, as well as on the anniversary of the end of the Pacific War in August.

Kyodo News reported, "Although the Parliamentary Group postponed the visit during the 2017 Autumn Grand Festival to December due to overlapping with the House of Representatives election, it has maintained the principle of visiting three times a year," adding, "This cancellation decision is an unprecedented response." During last year's Spring Grand Festival, 70 members of the Parliamentary Group visited, and during the October Autumn Grand Festival, 98 lawmakers and their secretaries or proxies totaling 165 people attended.

Since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited in December 2013, which sparked strong backlash from South Korea and China, he has not visited directly but has sent offerings to mark the Spring and Autumn Grand Festivals. Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines the spirits of those who died in wars initiated by modern Japan, is regarded as a symbol of imperialist Japan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.