Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s surprise visit
to the Yasukuni shrine spurred controversy on the resurgence of Japanese nationalism.
On behalf of the US government, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy released a
restrained message of “disappointment” shortly after his visit (“Japan leader’s shrine
visit draws criticism from U.S., Asian neighbors”; Stars and Stripes; December
25, 2013). There is no doubt that Abe’s behavior intensified tensions with
China and South Korea, and ruined improved US-Japanese relations through
settling the Futenma US base problem in Okinawa.
It is not Japan’s disagreements on wartime history with China and
South Korea, but supposed defiance to liberal world order cased on the Atlantic
Charter that really matters. The Yasukuni shrine is called the War Shrine in
the West as it honors war criminals in the Pacific War along with numerous
unknown soldiers. The vital problem is the ideology of this shrine. I went to
the shrine on December 22, 2005 to see what it is, without paying tribute to
war criminals. What struck me was not just Yasukuni made the case against the
Tokyo Tribunal for war crimes, but praised the brainwash to innocent youngsters
for suicide bombing under the name of divine emperor. This is exactly what Al
Qaeda does today under the name of Allah..
The ideology of suicide bombing is a Dark Age creed, which is
utterly unacceptable to any civilization of rationality and humanity since the
Renaissance. Therefore, the problem is not whether winner or loser in World War
II, nor do I endorse that Japan appease China and Korea. The focal point is
simple. The Yasukuni ideology is completely incompatible with the universal
value of human being. Remember, even Adolph Hitler did not adopt such barbaric
and inhumane tactics. Only wartime Japan and Al Qaeda conducted organized and
large scale suicide attacks under the name of the God. Japanese right wingers must
bear it in mind. It is not foreign pressure and criticism that really matters,
but in which position do the Japanese stand. Current Japan is at the heart of
Western democracies fighting against the ideology of lunacy and hatred upheld by
terrorists.
Like it or not, Japanese policymakers need to analyze the impact
of Abe’s visit to Yasukuni on Asia-Pacific diplomacy. As widely known, Abe wants
to “disentangle” Japan from the postwar world order to restore national pride. But
his attendance to the ritual at the shrine is regarded as an act of
legitimizing wartime militarism among Asian nations, particularly China and
South Korea. Also, sore relationship with the United States is critical. The
Bush administration tolerated Prime Minister-then Junichiro Koizumi’s visit to
Yasukuni, because he needed the coalition of the willing to topple Saddam
Hussein. Under the Obama administration, America is striking strategic
rebalance to Asia, and Japan’s “unnecessary” clash with China and South Korea.
From these points of view, Professor Aurelia Mulgan at the University of New
South Wales, comments critically to Abe’s “self-satisfactory” visit to Yasukuni
simply ruined security in East Asia (“Abe puts personal interests ahead of Japan’s at Yasukuni”; East Asia Forum,
1 January 2014).
We should note
that the Obama administration worked very hard to soothe vehement anti-Japanese
postures by the Park administration of South Korea regarding the wartime comfort
women issue. When Vice President Joseph Biden visited South Korea early
December, he urged President Park Guenhye to improve relations with Japan. Abe’s conduct ruined
such efforts (“Abe’s Yaskuni Visit Did not just Dissapoint, but Resented the US”;
47 News; December 29, 2013). On the other hand, it is necessary to understand
the background Abe’s visit to Yasukuni. Whether the Japanese prime minister attends
a ritual at the War Shrine or not, tensions in North East Asia are growing
worse. South Korea’s Park administration was moving toward increasingly
pro-Chinese since the inauguration. China self-claims the ADIZ (Air Defense
Identification Zone) around the Senkaku Islands to challenge US-Japanese maritime
supremacy. Furthermore, Michael Auslin, Resident Scholar at the American
Enterprise Institute, points out that Vice President Joseph Biden’s talk with
Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared appeasing for Abe. Therefore, he argues
that Abe resorted to preemptive action to demonstrate that Japan shall stand unapologetic
to China and South Korea on history (“Japan Officially
Enters Cold War with China and Korea”; National Review Online; December 26,
2013).
I shall not agree to Abe’s view on
Yasukuni, but if his premise is right, the timing of the visit was very
consummate. Abe paid tribute to war victims at Yasukuni including criminals on
December 26, which exactly coincides with Mao Zedong’s birthday (“China to celebrate Mao's
birthday, but events scaled back”; Reuters; December 25, 2013). As the Xi administration upholds Maoist resurgence in order to
rectify growing social inequality and corruption, Abe’s Yasukuni ritual was
extremely well planned to crack own inflammation of patriotic passion in China.
I wonder why didn’t the media referred to this. Japan took psychological
advantage of helping South Korean army in South Sudan through offering bullets
(“Japan supplies ammo to S. Korean military units in South Sudan”; Asahi
Shimbun; December 24, 2013). Furthermore, South Korea rejected to act with
China to protest Abe’s tribute to war criminals. South Korean Foreign Minister
Yun Byungse said that Seoul must deepen strategic partnership with Japan and
the United States to manage East Asian security, despite disagreements on
wartime history (“South Korea Cautious of Allying with China over Yasukuni”; Jiji
Press; January 1, 2013).
Regarding Japan’s foremost diplomatic
priority, which is the alliance with the United States, Abe settled long
disputed Futenma Marine Base issue in Okinawa that was terribly mismanaged
under the Hatoyama administration. From this point, Abe may have been confident
of American tolerance to Yasukuni. Even if the White House and the Department
of State were displeased with such nationalist posture, Abe could count on
understanding demeanor from the military industrial complex. In view of defense
cuts in the United States and Europe, Japan is a prospective market for the
defense industry as it increases the defense budget to face off against growing
threats of maritime ambition of China (“Boeing Gets $661M Defense Orders”;
Zacks Equity Research; December 27, 2013). The focal export item to Japan is
P8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft manufactured by Boeing, whose parts and
equipments also come from other major defense contractors such as Northrop
Grumman, Raytheyon, and General Electric. So many defense firms are involved (“China
vs. Japan: Will Boeing's New Submarine-Destroying Jet Get Battle Tested?”; Mystery
Fool; December 21, 2013).
Considering the above mentioned points, I would
argue that Abe’s visit to the War Shrine was not necessarily reckless though
opinion leaders both in Japan and abroad criticize it. As long as the military
industrial complex is on his side, there is nothing strange if he thought the
Obama administration’s aversion to nationalist posture was trivial. Rather, Abe’s
conduct looks quite canny like Cardinal Richelieu. However, it seems that a
crafty man has fallen oft into the snares of craft. The Yasukuni Shrine has an
inherent problem with its fundamental values, and this is beyond Pacific War winner-loser
standpoints.
Strangely enough, hardly any pro-Yasukuni politicians
in Nagatacho try to explain why Yasukuni values are acceptable to the world
today. Nor do Shinto priests at the War Shrine do so to improve accountability.
Most symbolically, it is necessary to tell the difference between “Long live
the Emperor!” and “Allah akbar!”. An ideology of suicide bombing under the name
of the god shall not be accommodated, regardless of ethnic, cultural, and
religious backgrounds. I do not have any objection to honor people who dedicated
their lives to the nation. But the nature of current Yasukuni Shirine needs to
be considered, before attending a ritual there. It is not the protest of China
and South Korea, nor disappointment of the United States. What really matters
is the implication of this shrine to a democratized Japan.