August 15th is the end of the war in Japan. On this day 81 years ago, Japan announced its acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration, and the major battles in Asia during World War II came to an end. But for Japanese politics, the memory of the war did not disappear with the end of the war.
Saturday (August 15) marked the 81st anniversary of the end of the war in Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not personally enter the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, but offered jade skewers at his own expense in the name of the president of the Liberal Democratic Party, and walked in the direction of the shrine in the parking lot of the nearby Budokan. On the same day, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and four other important cabinet ministers and party officials went to the Yasukuni Shrine to pay homage.
The moves again sparked criticism from China and South Korea. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Yasukuni Shrine enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals and believed that Japanese politicians' visits to the shrine were an attempt to overturn the convictions of war criminals. South Korea also expressed deep regret.
Why can a shrine still affect East Asian diplomacy 81 years after the end of the war? Takaichi Sanae omitted the word "reflection" in the remote worship and commemorative ceremonies. What are the strategic considerations behind it?
Cabinet members rarely visit together, Takaichi Sanae "Remote Festival"
On August 15 this year, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae did not visit the shrine in person. Instead, in the name of the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, he offered "tama skewers" at his own expense, which attracted attention.
Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported that Takaichi Sanae made a "distant bow" gesture of "two bows, two claps and one bow" to the Yasukuni Shrine several hundred meters away in the Nippon Budokan parking lot where the "National Memorial Ceremony for the War Victims" was held.
On the same day, many Japanese cabinet ministers and important officials from the Liberal Democratic Party went to the Yasukuni Shrine to pay homage in person, including Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Minister in charge of Economic and Security Nomi Onoda.
Akio Yaita, the former Taipei branch director of Japan's "Sankei Shimbun" and current CEO of the Taipei "Indo-Pacific Strategy" think tank, commented that although he has not entered the Yasukuni Shrine, Sanae Takaichi has completed "visiting" from Shinto rituals. It is a "compromise" but shows that his political considerations have become more mature after becoming prime minister.
He said that Gao Shi's identity was different, and taking the initiative to visit the shrine could easily become a diplomatic issue.
Unsurprisingly, however, the actions of Takaichi and his cabinet ministers immediately aroused strong criticism from China. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again criticized the Yasukuni Shrine for enshrining 14 Class-A war criminals, saying it was a de facto "war criminals shrine." It also warned Japan that this move was to overturn the convictions of war criminals, cover up their guilt, and pave the way for "remilitarization." South Korea also expressed deep regret for this.
In addition to the Yasukuni Shrine, another detail at this year's memorial ceremony also attracted attention: Takaichi's speech did not use the word "reflection."
Japan expert Professor Cai Xixi of Tamkang University in Taiwan noticed that at the commemorative ceremony hosted by His Majesty the Emperor and Empress of Japan and attended by the Prime Minister, the word "bei" was used in the words of the Emperor, which means "standing in deep introspection and sincerely praying that the tragedy of the war will not be repeated", expressing Japan's desire for peace.
Compared with previous prime ministers, Takaichi Sanae's speech contained one more word "せ" (let), "The tragedy of past wars must not be allowed to happen again", that is, war must be suppressed.
Professor Cai explained to BBC Chinese that in addition to adding the word "give" to Takaichi Sanae, it is also a new strategy for Japan's proactive "beacon role":
The purpose is to illustrate that "Japan can play an important role in solving various issues faced by countries around the world. Japan is a trustworthy country and has become a shining beacon in the Indo-Pacific region."
Why is Yasukuni Shrine so sensitive?
Yasukuni Shrine is no ordinary religious place. It was built in 1869 and was originally called the Tokyo Spiritual Shrine. It was later changed to the Yasukuni Shrine to commemorate Japanese soldiers and related personnel who died fighting for the "country" since the Meiji Restoration. Currently, about 2.5 million "heroic spirits" are enshrined.
The brother of former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, and Lee Teng-chin, who died in the Philippines while serving in the Japanese Navy, were later enshrined here. In 2007, Lee Teng-hui, who had resigned as president for many years, went to the Yasukuni Shrine to pay homage to his brother for the first time.
What really made the Yasukuni issue become the focus of international controversy was the joint ceremony in 1978.
At that time, the Yasukuni Shrine included fourteen Class-A war criminals (including Tojo Hideki, etc.) convicted in the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo Trial) as objects of worship.
The Tokyo Trial was held from 1946 to 1948 and was composed of judges from 11 countries. It tried Japan for "crimes against peace", "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity" during World War II. These 14 Class-A war criminals were identified as those primarily responsible for launching and expanding the war of aggression, and 7 of them were sentenced to death.
For countries such as China and South Korea that were invaded by Japan, Japanese politicians' visits to the Yasukuni Shrine are not only about mourning the war dead, but also about how Japan views the history of World War II and its war responsibilities.
But for some conservatives in Japan, Yasukuni is first and foremost a place to honor the war dead. Visiting the shrine is seen as a personal religious and emotional act and does not equate to support for Japan's militaristic past.
Research by Akiko Takenaka, associate professor of history at the University of Kentucky, points out that Japanese shrines have been used to construct modern national identity and military mobilization since the Meiji period. Shrines portray the war dead as honorable sacrifices for the emperor and the country, and reinforce patriotic sentiments through rituals, parades, and displays. After the war, a large number of "joint festivals" (more than half of which occurred after the war) were completed through the Ministry of Health and Welfare data, but Takenaka Research believes that many Japanese families did not agree with this practice.
Her research said the shrine became a symbol of Japan's "unfinished war", obscuring wider popular responsibility for the war and concentrating blame on a handful of leaders.
Why does Beijing associate appeasement with "remilitarization"?
The Chinese government has long directly linked the Yasukuni visit to "remilitarization". What is the reason?
From Beijing's perspective, if all the Class-A war criminals identified in the Tokyo Trial can be enshrined as heroic spirits, and Japanese politicians publicly visit the shrine, it can be understood as Japan's reinterpretation of its war history and provide an ideological basis for Japan's "military normalization."
However, Japanese conservatives have always refuted relevant claims, saying that visiting the shrine is a matter of sovereignty and emotion and has nothing to do with defense policy.
Judging from Japan’s defense white paper just released this year, Tokyo emphasizes that the real threats come from outside, and Japan is working hard to fill its defense holes to cope with China’s military expansion and risks in the Taiwan Strait.
In recent years, Japan has been expanding its defense capabilities and regards China's military development and the situation in the Taiwan Strait as important security issues.
Professor Cai Xixi, who has long studied Japanese political strategy, told the BBC that for Japanese conservatives, Yasukuni also has certain domestic political significance.
He took Shinjiro Koizumi's visit to the shrine as Minister of Defense as an example, and believed that Koizumi continued the political tradition of his father, former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
"If he stops visiting the shrine while serving as defense minister, he will not be able to win the trust of the 220,000 Self-Defense Forces members."
However, Professor Cai emphasized that China sometimes reflects on history, but sometimes uses the "history card" to contain Japan.
"China is currently criticizing Japan for pursuing a 'new type of militarism,' and China uses the historical card to justify its criticism." Professor Cai Xixiang said.
Therefore, the same Yasukuni Shrine has completely different meanings in the political narratives of China and Japan, highlighting that the historical issues of World War II are not just "past" history, but can still easily ignite the powder storehouse of East Asian diplomacy.
Is the high market taking a "strategic no-visit" approach?
In the past, when Sanae Takaichi served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications and Minister of Economic Security, she personally visited the Yasukuni Shrine many times. During the 2024 Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, she publicly promised to continue visiting the shrine even if she became prime minister.
But after becoming prime minister, her approach obviously changed.
At the autumn regular festival in October 2025, Takaichi, who has assumed the status of prime minister, will sacrifice "jade string materials" at his own expense to the shrine, and have an agent visit the shrine. At the Spring Festival in April 2026, Shinaki will be enshrined in the name of "Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae", and jade string materials will be enshrined at his own expense.
On August 15 this year, she celebrated the anniversary of the end of the war for the first time as Prime Minister. She once again chose to pay for jade strings privately (donated through the Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party), and performed "two bows, two claps, and one bow" in the direction of Yasukuni in the Nippon Budokan parking lot, without going there in person.
Professor Cai Xixun emphasized to the BBC that "remote worship" shows that the high market itself has not changed. Not going to worship is because the impact on foreign relations will be too great, especially considering that South Korea currently has a harmonious relationship with Japan. Going to worship in person will force a strong reaction from Seoul.
Prime Minister Kishida did not use the word "reflection" in 2024, and it was not until 2025 that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba used it again.
Since Abe returned as Prime Minister for the second time, he has not personally visited the Yasukuni Shrine.
