Thursday, December 26, 2013

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Yasukuni Shrine


Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the 
Yasukuni Shrine

On December 26, 2013 the prime minister of Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, a Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan. 

This visit by the Prime Minister of Japan to a shrine in Tokyo erupted in complaints from South Korea and China.  It seems like some people in South Korea and China awarded themselves the authority to dictate to the people in Japan what places they are not allowed to visit in Japan.  In other those in South Korea and China who feel they have this authority are absolute idiots.

The Yasukuni Shinto shrine is dedicated to the soldiers and others who died on behalf of Japan, registering near two and a half million names enshrined dating back to 1867.  A visit to this shrine by foreigners and notable Japanese brings with it scathing criticism from some neighboring nations.  Their complaint is out of the two and a half million spirits honored at the Yasukuni Shrine; around one thousand were convicted as war criminals by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE or known as Tokyo Trails or Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal).  Should be noted the legitimacy of tribunal is in question by many.

Here is what is interesting:  During World War Two Japan occupied around twenty-four nations and battled around twelve Allied nations.  Out of the twenty-four occupied and twelve Allied nations, only two nations (China and South Korea) object to any official visitation to the Yasukuni Shrine.

Articles in reference to China and South Korea upset over Japanese citizen’s freedom of movement within Japan (Japanese Prime Minster Abe visiting the Yasukuni Shrine):





Yasukuni Shrine English website:

Japan-guide information on the Yasukuni Shrine:

Wikipedia entry on the Yasukuni Shrine:

Yasukuni Shrine controversies:

Link to Texas Daddy store:

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