A Japanese Cabinet minister visited a controversial war shrine in Tokyo yesterday, in a move likely to cause anger in China and South Korea, which see it as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism.
Japanese Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Yoshitaka Shindo paid homage yesterday morning at the Yasukuni Shrine, Jiji Press and other news reports said.
Shindo, a regular visitor to the shrine, insisted that it was a “private matter,” playing down the potential for diplomatic fallout from a visit by a member of the Japanese government.
“Offering condolences to the war dead can be seen in any country,” Shindo was quoted by Jiji as saying following his visit, which came ahead of the shrine’s annual spring festival from April 21 to April 23.
Japanese parliamentarians make pilgrimages to the shrine during spring and autumn festivals and on Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, enraging neighboring nations.
The shrine, which used to be run by the wartime government, honors Japan’s war dead, including several high-level officials executed for war crimes after World War II.
China and South Korea see it as a brutal reminder of Tokyo’s imperialist past and wartime aggression, and its failure to repent for its history.
In December last year, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made his first visit as premier to the shrine since he took office in December 2012.
Abe, known for his nationalist views, previously served as Japanese premier from 2006 to 2007, without visiting Yasukuni.
Abe’s visit — which came at a time when Japan’s ties with China have turned particularly sour over a territorial dispute regarding islands in the East China Sea — prompted an angry reaction from Beijing.
The Japanese coast guard said earlier in the day, for several hours yesterday, three Chinese government ships entered the territorial waters around the East China Sea islands, called the Senkakus in Japan and the Diaoyutais (釣魚台) in Taiwan, which claim them along with China.
South Korea also reacted angrily to the Japanese prime minister’s visit to the shrine last year, while Japan’s ally the US said it was “disappointed” by the Japanese prime minister’s decision as it would raise regional tensions.
Abe is widely expected to refrain from visiting the shrine during the upcoming spring festival ahead of a summit with US President Barack Obama on April 24 in Tokyo.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the