Kishida Offers Tribute at Yasukuni Shrine... Second Time Since Taking Office

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has offered a tribute to Yasukuni Shrine, a symbol of Japanese militarism. This is his second time since taking office, following October of last year.

On the 21st, Japanese media including Kyodo News reported that Prime Minister Kishida offered a tribute under the name "Prime Minister Fumio Kishida" on the day the autumn festival (Shukai Yataisai) at Yasukuni Shrine began. The tribute he sent was "Masakaki," an evergreen tree offered at the altar.

Kishida does not plan to visit the shrine during the two-day festival starting that day. He also offered a tribute during the autumn festival last October, shortly after taking office. At that time, Japanese media interpreted that Kishida omitted the visit considering the negative impact on diplomatic relations with South Korea, China, and others.

The tribute offering follows the precedent set by previous prime ministers. The last sitting prime minister to visit Yasukuni Shrine in person was former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in December 2013. Due to strong opposition from neighboring countries at that time, former Prime Minister Abe only offered tributes during his subsequent tenure. Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also sent only tributes while in office.

Yasukuni Shrine is a facility commemorating approximately 2.46 million people who died in civil wars and militaristic wars in Japan since the Meiji Restoration. It enshrines 14 Class A war criminals of the Pacific War, including Hideki Tojo, who were sentenced to death by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo Trials).