Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Lee's elder brother was one of tens of thousands of Taiwanese drafted into the Japanese military during colonial rule. He was killed in 1945 while serving with the Japanese navy during World War II.
The Yasukuni shrine lists him among the 2.5 million war dead it honors, including Japanese leaders executed for war crimes.
Lee's visit drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing, with China reiterating its "strong dissatisfaction" with Japan just hours after the visit.
"From what Lee Teng-hui has done in Japan it is clear what his intentions are. We again express our strong dissatisfaction with the Japanese side for allowing Lee Teng-hui to visit Japan," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu (
Lee denied making a political statement by visiting the shrine.
He said his visit was a "private, family event."
"I hope you would not associate it with politics or history," he said in televised comments prior to his visit.
"He was my only brother and we were very close," Lee said in a teary voice. "He left [for the war] 62 years ago and my family has no memento of him, no remains, not even a hair. He exists only at Yasukuni."
Supporters of Lee, who was educated in Japan and led Taiwan from 1988 to 2000, shouted "banzai" [long life] when he arrived at the Shinto shrine's massive, tree-lined complex in central Tokyo.
Some waved Japanese flags and some shouted "Taiwan forever."
Lee entered Yasukuni's inner hall and prayed, a shrine spokesman said on condition of anonymity, citing protocol. Lee refused to talk to reporters after the pilgrimage.
Lee arrived in Japan last Wednesday for an 11-day visit.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Lee's visit is private and that he does not expect it to hurt Tokyo's relations with Beijing.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said yesterday that the Japanese government "will not comment on the actions of a private individual."
Officials in Taipei also played down the importance of the Yasukuni trip.
"Mr Lee is now a civilian. We respect his personal decision, and this has nothing to do with the government," Foreign Minister James Huang (黃志芳) said.
Yasukuni Shrine is one of a number of sources of contention between China and Japan, along with disputes over exploration of underwater gas and differing interpretations of wartime history.
Also see story:
Editorial: Lee Teng-hui's Yasukuni shuffle
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS