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On Aug. 15, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara visited Yasukuni Jinja shrine in Tokyo, where the souls of Japan’s war dead as well as of World War II Class A war criminals are enshrined. As a Cabinet minister who leads the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), this action could be perceived as lacking reflection on the past.
This marks the third time a sitting defense minister has visited the shrine, and it is believed to be the first such visit on the anniversary of the end of World War II, though in 2002, when the ministry was still the Defense Agency, then-Director General Gen Nakatani visited the shrine on Aug. 15.
Prime ministers and Cabinet members have visited Yasukuni Jinja multiple times over the years. Then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited on Aug. 15, 2006, and late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited in December 2013, both of which sparked a backlash from neighboring countries such as China and South Korea.
It is natural for the leaders of a nation to express their condolences for those who have died in war. However, there are problems with visiting Yasukuni Jinja in particular. Before World War II, it was a core institution of state-backed Shintoism, which supported militarism. In 1978, Class-A war criminals convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (better known as the Tokyo Trial) were enshrined there.
Postwar Japan accepted the results of the Tokyo Trial and has upheld the ideals of a peaceful nation as outlined in its Constitution. The anniversary of the end of the war is a time to reaffirm that commitment. Although Kihara explained that his visit was made in a “private capacity,” it runs counter to this historical context and significance.
The former Imperial Japanese military was dismantled after the war. The SDF, established under a democratic system, is institutionally distinct from the former military.
What is concerning is that recently there have been movements within parts of the SDF that seem to strengthen ties with Yasukuni Jinja, which honors the war dead of the former military.
In January of this year, senior officials of the Ground Self-Defense Force visited the shrine en masse. It is questionable whether this is consistent with a directive issued by the vice-minister of defense, which advised that unit visits and compulsory participation by personnel should be “strictly avoided” from the perspective of the separation of religion and state.
The Defense Ministry concluded that it was a private visit and not in violation of the directive, but since an operational plan had been drawn up and official vehicles were used, it could easily be seen as an organizational visit.
In April this year, a former Maritime Self-Defense Force admiral became the head priest of Yasukuni Jinja, further suggesting a closer relationship between the two. Before the war, an Imperial Army general served as the head priest of the shrine.
If a movement is emerging within the Defense Ministry and SDF to view themselves as continuous with the former military, it is a grave situation. Kihara’s visit to the shrine could be perceived as endorsing such a trend.
It is the role of politics to ensure vigilance so that the SDF do not deviate from their foundational purpose of protecting peace and the citizens of Japan.
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