Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not visit Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, the date marking the 81st anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, in what observers characterized as a move to maintain diplomatic relations with China and South Korea.
The Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates approximately 2.4 million war dead, has become a point of regional tension since its 1978 inclusion of 14 individuals convicted of war crimes. Chinese and South Korean officials have stated that visits by Japanese government representatives to the shrine suggest insufficient acknowledgment of Japan’s wartime actions in Asia. China’s Foreign Ministry issued a formal protest after other Japanese officials visited the site, characterizing their actions as attempts to “change the verdict on war criminals” and distort historical facts. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for continued bilateral cooperation while noting the importance of addressing historical grievances.
While Takaichi avoided the shrine, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, three other Cabinet members, and party executives paid respects there. Koizumi stated on social media that he renewed his commitment to Japan’s postwar pacifist principles. Party officials brought monetary offerings on Takaichi’s behalf as party leader, a measure interpreted as an attempt to maintain support among right-wing constituencies. Takaichi has not visited the shrine since taking office, though she has sent offerings to its biannual festivals.
In her official address at Budokan Hall, Takaichi mourned victims of the war’s devastation and expressed commitment to global peace without specifically acknowledging Japan’s wartime aggression. The Prime Minister has previously resisted such acknowledgments and has stated she represents a postwar generation bearing no responsibility for historical actions. Emperor Naruhito, in his own remarks, emphasized reflection on the past and expressed deep remorse, continuing the imperial family’s practice of distancing itself from Yasukuni since the inclusion of war criminals.
Visitors to the shrine included descendants of those who died in the war, for whom the site represents a place of remembrance and spiritual connection to relatives lost in military service.
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