hankyoreh

in formal dress

Yesterday was a sad and lamentable day. August 15 should have been a day for East Asia to reflect on the wrongs of the past and build mutual trust, but it was turned into a day of controversy by the childish actions of a single Japanese politician. Junichiro Koizumi became the first sitting Japanese prime minister in 21 years to worship at Yasukuni Shrine on August 15, and as it was televised live, commentators there described it as a demonstration of his resolve ahead of his retirement in September.

Just what is all that resolve for, anyway, and what has he resolved himself to achieve? He lacks the slightest consideration for direct victims of his country’s colonial rule and war of aggression, and for all those who desire for true peace and reconciliation in East Asia. His visit looks like nothing more than thickheaded egotism that seeks to turn back the clock of history.

Having become prime minister in April 2001, Koizumi will have been in office longer than anyone but Eisaku Sato (1964-1972) and Shigeru Yoshida (1946-1947, 1948-1954) by the time he steps down next month. He is seen as a successful politician because of his call for his country to overcome factionalist politics and to pursue reform. This is the platform with which he won the hearts of voters who had grown sick of the carefree, stagnant atmosphere in Japanese society, and he used it to maintain a high level of popularity during his entire tenure.

When it comes to the issue of Yasukuni, however, Koizumi has been unable to escape his own intolerant and obstinate labyrinth of the mind, to the point where you even feel sorry for him as a human being. He said it would be appropriate to worship at Yasukuni on August 15, as Korea and China would criticize him for worshipping there regardless of the timing.

The core of the issue, however, is not the timing, it is Yasukuni itself. What is Yasukuni Shrine, after all? Is it not a symbol of militarism, being the place where since the Meiji era, soldiers who fought in the name of the emperor in various wars since that point in history have been honored as gods of war? Is it not the place where, following the end of World War II, men who were convicted as Class A war criminals by the International War Crimes Tribunal for the Far East are today enshrined with the rest of Japan’s war dead and worshipped? However peculiar and twisted a sense of history Japan may share as a society, moves such as these will always be met with disapproval in the international community. In Europe, would you ever see the key aides of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini brought together in one place and honored with regular ceremonies?

I find it unfortunate that Japanese society has not truly worked hard enough to cure the fundamental disease suffered by this region of the world, an ailment that manifests itself in the form of Koizumi’s repeated visits to the shrine. His selfish behavior has kept him from having summit meetings with East Asian leaders for some time now. The issue of Yasukuni is one that would best be resolved by the Japanese themselves, instead of having it be something that leads to confrontation between nations or a collision of nationalist sentiment, all of which could send the region in a direction no one wants to go.

One had hoped that with the selection of Japan’s next prime minister a month away, there would be major debate about how to resolve the issue, so it is very regrettable that there is not even any room for debate, now that chief cabinet secretary Shinzo Abe - a man in much the same vein - has a virtually unchallenged candidacy. It is unfortunate that one has to see the situation as the shortcoming of a Japanese society still unable to muster the courage to look its history straight in the face, despite its striking accomplishments since the war’s end. Still, the backward-thinking elements of Japanese society should be unrelated to political leaders - people with responsibility - worshipping at Yasukuni Shrine.

Koizumi’s visit on August 15 was the final act of the ’Koizumi Show,’ which sold a lot of tickets with its showy gestures and simplistic arguments. What is it that he has accomplished prior to his grand exit? To me, he looks like a kamikaze who is thundering down on the community of East Asia in an attempt to destroy it, all while holding the delusion that he is keeping his promises while in office. So as to keep him responsible for what he has done, if he fails to reflect on his actions even when he is no longer in public service, the Korean government should refuse to let him enter the country. It should also stay diligent in reminding the international community of the issue here, so as prevent Japanese leaders from behaving this recklessly again.