He Cannot Even Make A Visit....

PM Abe's surprise Yasukuni Shrine visit draws strong reactions

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, arrives at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Dec. 26, 2013. (Mainichi)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Yasukuni Shrine on the first anniversary of his administration came as a surprise even to government insiders who assumed rocky ties with China and South Korea would stop the prime minister from visiting the shrine this year, and drew strong reactions from the public.

Around 10 a.m., soon after news of Abe's planned visit was released, members of the press began to gather at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. By 11 a.m. the crowd had grown to over 100, including reporters and cameramen from foreign media organizations.

Cars with tinted windows carrying security personnel from the Metropolitan Police Department slid into the area of the shrine where Abe was expected to arrive by car, and uniformed police officers took up position. By the time the prime minister arrived at 11:32 a.m., around 15 helicopters circled the air above the shrine.

Members of the general public who were visiting the shrine appeared shocked by the presence of reporters and heavy security.

"I was wondering what was going on because there were so many police officers. I didn't know (Abe was visiting) today," said Takako Kondo, 70, who lives nearby and pays her respects at the shrine every day. As for the visit itself, she said, "It's the prime minister's own decision. Japan doesn't have very good relationships with China and South Korea right now, but I think Abe should visit the shrine without being swayed by their views."

At 11:56, Abe emerged from Yasukuni's inner shrine and raised his hand at the approximately 300 members of the media who had gathered before getting into a waiting car. Shrine visitors holding the Japanese flag applauded, with some yelling out "Good job. Thank you."

Yoshikatsu Ueda, 72, the secretary general of "Heiwa o negai senso ni hantai suru senbotsusha izoku no kai" (Association of bereaved families of the war dead who wish for peace and oppose war), argued that the prime minister's visit was inappropriate.

"Yasukuni Shrine not only enshrines Class A war criminals, it also glamorizes and rationalizes a war that claimed the lives of many people. Individuals have the right to freedom of religion and thought, but the prime minister of a country with a constitution that promises lasting peace based on reflections from war should not visit the shrine. There is also the issue of separation of religion and government, so the prime minister's visit is problematic on numerous levels.

"I can't help but be suspicious that the prime minister's visit to Yasukuni Shrine at this point in time, ahead of the ordinary session of the Diet that is set to take place next year, is an indication of his intention to overturn the government's constitutional interpretation that bans the right to collective self-defense."

Tomoyoshi Aoyagi, 74, who taught Abe when he was a student at Seikei Senior High School, also wondered about the prime minister's intentions.

"He did something that should not have been done," Aoyagi said. "I didn't think he was this unappreciative of the spirit of post-war democracy and the Constitution. Is he effectively trying to revive state-sanctioned Shintoism?"

Ikuhiko Hata, a modern history lecturer at Nihon University, meanwhile, criticized the general timing of Abe's actions.

"If he was aiming to reap any benefits from sensationalism, then his move is long overdue. All of Prime Minister Abe's initiatives are off in terms of timing. This past year probably went by with him worrying constantly about Japan's relationships with China and South Korea. And perhaps he thought that since South Korea is currently preoccupied with its deepening conflict with North Korea, it wouldn't really bother with Japan.

"A visit to the shrine soon after he became prime minister would have probably led to improved approval ratings, but visiting at this point is awkward and will lead to a public backlash, canceling out any positive effects. Even if the prime minister decided to make the visit with significant resolve, it lacks impact