Japanese Defense Minister Apnews prayed at Tokyo’s Reuters on Saturday, marking the 81st anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. The shrine honors the nation’s 2.5 million war dead, including 14 wartime leaders convicted as Class-A war criminals by Allied tribunals after Japan’s 1945 defeat, as well as over 1,000 others found guilty by Allied tribunals.
Japan Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi Visits Yasukuni Shrine
Koizumi, who is the son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, wore a dark suit and tie during the visit. He has regularly visited the shrine on August 15 and other occasions, having previously visited as agriculture minister. However, because he now serves as defense minister pushing to increase Japan’s military capability and weapons sales under a hawkish government, his latest visit was viewed as significantly more contentious. The previous shrine visit by a defense minister took place in 2024, carried out by Minoru Kihara.
Under the rules of Japan’s Defense Ministry, group visits by service members of the Self-Defense Forces are prohibited on the constitutional grounds of the separation of religion and state. Koizumi declined to comment on his visit when walking past journalists at the shrine.
China and Regional Protests
The visit immediately drew sharp rebukes from neighboring nations. China’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the action, stating that Beijing had lodged solemn representations and a strong protest with Japan. According to a state broadcaster CCTV report, a foreign ministry spokesperson asserted that Japanese politicians intended to change the verdict on war criminals, cover up wartime crimes, distort historical facts, and pave the way for accelerated militarization.
China and South Korea have long maintained that visits by senior Japanese officials demonstrate a lack of remorse over Japan’s wartime atrocities and serve to gloss over Tokyo’s past actions while damaging diplomatic ties. Beijing and Seoul view the shrine as a symbol of past Japanese militarism and aggression.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Approach and Party Offerings
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stayed away from the shrine on Saturday, a move attributed by observers to an effort to avoid exacerbating diplomatic tensions and to prioritize relations with China and South Korea. Ahead of the anniversary, Japanese media reported she would stay away to keep ties with Beijing from worsening and to maintain good relations with Seoul. Instead of attending in person, Takaichi sent a ritual cash offering to the shrine in her capacity as party leader, delivered by governing Liberal Democratic Party executives.
Kimi Onoda, the minister for economic security, also visited the shrine on Saturday, according to public broadcaster NHK. Additionally, three executives from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party prayed together at the site and brought offerings on the prime minister’s behalf. Party secretary-general Shunichi Suzuki told reporters that he prayed while keeping in mind the prime minister’s thoughts for the spirits of the war dead.
During her address on the surrender anniversary, Takaichi mourned victims of devastation in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Okinawa, alongside those who perished on overseas battlefronts, thanking them for their sacrifice. She did not mention Japanese wartime atrocities in Asia or offer an apology, stating instead that Japan has consistently contributed to global peace and prosperity since the end of the war.
