Thursday 23 April 2009


JAPAN'S YASUKUNI SITE OF RECURRING CONTROVERSY

Reuters, April 23, 2009

China voiced anger on Thursday with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso for sending an offering to Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine for war dead, seen by China and South Korea as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

Here are some facts about the shrine.
* In Japanese, "yasu" means peace and "kuni" means country.
* Established in 1869 and funded by the government until 1945, Yasukuni is dedicated to the nation's 2.5 million war dead, including about 1,000 convicted war criminals. No human remains are housed there.
* The shrine played a central role in the wartime state Shinto religion which mobilised the population to fight in the name of a divine emperor.
* Among those honoured are 14 World War Two leaders convicted by an Allied tribunal as "Class A" war criminals, including prime minister Hideki Tojo. Seven of these were executed by hanging.
* The Class A criminals were listed as gods at Yasukuni in a secret ceremony in 1978.

(...) [artículo aquí]

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