Suga, Japanese Prime Minister, Likely to Offer Tribute Only Without Visiting Yasukuni Shrine on August 15

On August 15th last year, members of a Japanese right-wing group were bowing at Yasukuni Shrine on the anniversary of the end of the war.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] It has been reported that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga plans to offer only offerings without visiting Yasukuni Shrine on the 15th, the day Japan lost the Pacific War.

According to local media on the 13th, Prime Minister Suga is known not to visit Yasukuni Shrine on the 15th, the first anniversary of the end of the war since his inauguration in September last year. Instead, he is reportedly considering paying the cost of 'tamagushi,' a type of offering to the shrine, out of his own pocket. Earlier, in April during the spring festival at Yasukuni Shrine, Suga also offered only offerings without visiting the shrine.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi and Economic Revitalization Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura visited Yasukuni Shrine directly two days before the anniversary of the end of the war. It is the first time in 4 years and 8 months since then-Defense Minister Tomomi Inada visited the shrine in December 2016 that a sitting defense minister has visited Yasukuni Shrine.

After visiting the shrine, Defense Minister Kishi said, "I paid my respects to those who lost their lives fighting for the country in the Great War," and "I renewed my pledge of non-war and my determination to protect the lives and peace of the people." Regarding criticism that a sitting defense minister's visit could provoke criticism from war-affected countries such as South Korea and China, he stated, "It is natural for each country to express deep respect in their hearts to the spirits of the war dead."

Yasukuni Shrine, located in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, Japan, enshrines the spirits of approximately 2,466,000 people who died in numerous wars caused by modern Japan, including seven war criminals such as former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who was tried and executed as a war criminal.

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