Erroneous offering to 'war-criminal shrine': China Daily editorial

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering of a potted plant to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday in her official capacity.

This happened just two days before Japan and the United States launch a military exercise, along with some other countries. The exercise sees the deployment of nearly 60,000 troops and Japan's domestically developed Type 25 surface-to-ship missile system.

The offering exposes how Japan confronts its history of aggression and the following military exercise shows the scope of its military presence. Put together, they heighten grave concerns about Japan's intentions.

Takaichi chose to make an offering to the shrine, where 14 convicted Japanese Class-A war criminals from World War II are "honored", rather than visit the shrine in person, as she did multiple times before she became Japan's prime minister. In doing so, she attempted to avoid the greater diplomatic fallout a personal visit would trigger. But that does not remove the political meaning of the irresponsible and provocative gesture. Her offering to the shrine sends an alarming message about Japan's ill understanding of its past. Just as the ones she made in April and August.

No matter what excuses Japanese officials make for paying homage to the shrine, they cannot conceal their true intentions of rehabilitating war criminals, covering up wartime crimes, distorting historical facts and paving the way for accelerating Japan's remilitarization.

Takaichi's tributes underscore that Japan has never squarely confronted its history of aggression. This not only disregards the feelings of people in countries that suffered from Japanese militarism in history but also conveys an inaccurate impression of that period of history to the younger generation in Japan. For Asia-Pacific countries that experienced Japanese aggression, Takaichi's offerings warrant caution about the direction Japan is taking.

The country is paving the way for the rise of neo-militarism in different fields, including space, intelligence and high technology, by pushing for revision of its Constitution, policies and principled positions. Last month, in her first speech at the United Nations General Assembly as Japan's prime minister, Takaichi openly urged the UN to delete the "enemy state clauses" from the UN Charter. She can hardly wait to summon the spirit of Japanese militarism both at home and on the international stage.

Tokyo not only tries to exempt Japan's military expansion from clear legal and political constraints, but also attempts to justify that by telling lies. The "external threats" fabricated by the right-wing forces in Japan must not become a pretext for the country to blur the principles of the pacifist Constitution, disregard the concerns of its neighbors and its own historical responsibilities, and peddle the false claim that the "enemy state clauses" are obsolete.

Paying tributes to the "war-criminal shrine" is an erroneous act that desecrates historical justice, challenges the bottom line of human civilization and constitutes a provocation to the postwar international order, drawing firm opposition from the international community. The Republic of Korea has expressed deep disappointment and regret over Takaichi's latest offering to the shrine, urging the Japanese leader to face history squarely, reflect on Japan's past aggression and show sincere remorse.

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Japan said on Saturday that a correct understanding and treatment of history were the key premise for Japan's return to the international community after WWII and it is the basis for the development of relations between Japan and neighboring countries. It is also a measure of whether Japan can adhere to the promise of peace and development.

Takaichi has repeatedly and hypocritically claimed that she wants to mend ties with China and has put on a show of "openness" to dialogue. Yet time and again, through her erroneous words and actions on the Yasukuni Shrine and other issues, including the Taiwan question, she has made clear to Beijing that behind her refined hypocrisy lies a delusion: she wants Japan to regain the benefits of economic and trade cooperation with China and, meanwhile, thinks that China can wink at the rise of neo-militarism in Japan.

What warrants particular vigilance now is that, under the combined pressures of falling domestic approval ratings, mounting skepticism and opposition, and growing fiscal and economic downward pressure, the Takaichi government is putting higher stakes on promoting the rise of neo-militarism. This will pose a serious and real threat to regional security.