No remorse as Abe marks surrender (3)

Email|Print|Comments       twitter     facebook     Sina Microblog     reddit    

"No matter in what form or name a Japanese leader pays tribute at the Yasukuni Shrine, its essence is to try to deny and glorify Japan's militarist past of aggression and challenge the post-World War II international order," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.
Tetsuya Takahashi, a professor at Tokyo University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, said it is an improper historical perception that the war dead in Japan's aggressions should be worshipped as "gods" and commended for their deeds.

Liu Jiangyong, an expert on Japanese studies and the deputy dean of the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University, said Abe's decision to make a ritual offering instead of visiting the shrine is his tactic for repairing ties with neighboring countries.

"However, by making an ornamental offering to the shrine, he has shown an ingrained nationalistic sentiment, which will never appease Asian neighbors," Liu warned.

South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young said in a statement that leading Japanese politicians and Cabinet members "still turn a blind eye to history".

In his proposal on improving China-Japan relations, Shin Kawashima, director of the CSIS-Nikkei virtual think tank, said the two countries should have dialogues and seek common interests as a way to mend ties when they mark the 35th anniversary of the China-Japan Treaty on Peace and Friendship this year.

He hopes that Japanese Cabinet members treat Yasukuni visits with caution.

In a letter to Abe published in Japan Times, J. F. van Wagtendonk, president of the Foundation of Japanese Honorary Debts in The Hague, asked Abe to face Japan's war responsibility. "You cannot pass this responsibility to your and Japan's children."

We Recommend

• Helicopters, tanks seen during China-Russia joint drill
• Conjoined twins separated in groundbreaking surgery
• Summer photos of Zhang Xinyi, how graceful
• Pakistan celebrates Independence Day
• Beijing Int'l Gifts, Premium & Houseware Exhibition opens
• Kung Fu soccer team trains at Songshan Shaolin training base