Koizumi's war shrine visit strongly opposed
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-08-15 08:17 The Yasukuni Shrine, established in 1869 under Emperor Meiji, honors 2.5
million Japanese war dead including 14 class-A war criminals responsible for the
most atrocious crimes during Japan's war of aggression against its Asian
neighbors.
In 1978, 14 class-A war criminals, including wartime prime minister Hideki
Tojo, were listed as the enshrined at the Yasukuni Shrine.
Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi (C) is led by a Shinto priest (R) as he visits Tokyo's Yasukuni
shrine August 15, 2006. Koizumi paid his respects at Tokyo's controversial
Yasukuni shrine for war dead on Tuesday, the anniversary of his country's
World War Two surrender, a parting shot sure to enrage neighbours China
and South Korea. [Reuters] |
Koizumi's visits
to the shrine have been denounced by countries which suffered Japan's brutal
aggression before and during World War II.
Koizumi's previous visits have chilled Japan's relations with neighboring
China and South Korea, making the issue the major stumbling block in the smooth
development of relations with those countries.
The visits also drew criticism from the public and news media in Japan.
According to a recent opinion poll conducted by Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun
newspaper, 49 percent of the respondents are opposed to Koizumi's shrine visit
as compared with 43 percent in favor.
Even in the United States, Koizumi's shrine visits have come under fire.
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on International Relations Chairman
Henry J. Hyde had in April sent a letter to the speaker of the House, Dennis
Hastert, demanding Koizumi not be invited for a speech at Congress during his
June visit to the United States, unless Tokyo pledged the Japanese leader would
not pay any Shrine visit after returning home.
In Beijing, more than 30
Chinese people gathered outside the Japanese embassy on Tuesday morning,
protesting against Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni
Shrine.
The protest activity lasted about 20 minutes.
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