It is very ironic that the Yasukuni shrine’s name means The Shrine of the Peaceful Country, because it is a divisive symbol among not only the Japanese but across southeast Asia. There are many different interpretations of the shrine, and takes a different meaning in the hearts of different people. The Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan is a private institution that commemorates the 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including 14 class A war criminals. These 14 were executed during the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal after World War II for their “crimes against peace,” setting them apart from the other lives memorialized there, of soldiers who died in combat.
To the far right, the shrine represents both Japanese heroism and victimization. These sentiments reflect Japan’s rising nationalism during the Meiji restoration. In the eyes of the far right, Japan should be celebrated for their heroic military actions, and the Yasukuni shrine is a symbol of just that. Japanese heroism is demonstrated in the Yushukan, a Japanese war museum, when military colonialism in East Asia is referred to as “campaigns,” and many exhibits are framed to show Japanese superiority and benevolence, when in fact they were historically oppressive. Celebrating Japanese heroism goes hand in hand with framing Japan as the victim during World War II. Regarding the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, Japanese political scientists write that the attack was provoked by a trap laid out by the United States, drawing them in through years of incessant political and economic manipulation. This is just one example of framing history to favor the Japanese. Emphasis on the manipulation of Japan by other countries, and pride for their militaristic achievements are the symbolic sentiments of the shrine in the far right.
To the far left and to China and Korea, the shrine is a cruel reminder of Japanese aggression. Koreans were forcefully conscripted to the Japanese army during World War II, and many died but are not memorialized because they are not Japanese. On top of this, the shinto shrine is a cruel reminder that the Japanese once forced Koreans to worship shinto gods. To many, the shrine demonstrates imperialism that has caused the suffering and displacement of so many people.
The Japan Times article “61% of South Koreans blame Japanese government for diplomatic row,” published on July 13 2019, examines public perception towards foreign relations between Japan and South Korea. 61% of South Koreans blame Japan for the current tense state of affairs regarding trade regulations, and 13% of South Koreans blame their own government. I found this article to be an interesting parallel to our class discussions because in the past we have looked at similar opinion polls gauging public perception of Japanese - Korean relations. The countries do not view each other favorably, in large part due to Japan’s exploitation of Korean women, and repeated invasion and annexation of Korea, and their refusal to acknowledge their mistakes. Currently in South Korea, signs are appearing in grocery stores advertising to the public that Japanese goods are not sold there. The tensions began when Tokyo resolved to increase export evaluations on certain chemicals that are used in display panels, to the indignation of South Korea. Japan argues that the new reforms are due to a “loss of trust” in South Korea, while South Korea views it as a blatant attempt to hurt their economy. South Korea has demanded a meeting to discuss the terms of the new rules. This inflamed dispute over rather petty technicalities is a deep reflection of the longstanding tensions that exist between the two neighboring countries, which the shrine serves to exacerbate.
In regards to the Enola Gray exhibit, the proposed display at the National Air and Space Museum, of the B-29 used to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, I see strong parallels between it and the shrine. Displaying the plane, to me, feels like a cold, arrogant celebration of a military act that killed almost 250,000 people, many of them being civilians. It feels like a celebration of suffering. Admiral Noel Gayler of the Research Advisory Committee’s summarized this, saying that we would be “celebrating the first and so far the only use of nuclear weapons against human beings.” To some extent, this is reminiscent of the Yasukuni shrine, because it is an object that represents pain inflicted on others. There are no bodies at the Yasukuni shrine. It is not memorializing individual people, it is memorializing Japan’s history of inflicting suffering on others.
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