Japan ministers steer clear of war-linked Yasukuni during festival
KYODO NEWS - 10 hours ago - 19:59 | All, Japan
None of the current members of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet visited the war-linked Yasukuni shrine during a three-day spring festival that ended Wednesday, partly due to diplomatic considerations.
Ishiba sent a ritual "masakaki" offering to the shrine on the first day of the festival, prompting a protest from China and disappointing South Korea. The neighboring countries see the Shinto shrine as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
Ishiba and his Cabinet members also stayed away from the shrine, which honors convicted war criminals along with 2.4 million war dead, during last October's autumn festival, which coincided with a House of Representatives election campaign.
Japan's relations with China and South Korea have been thawing after years of tension over wartime history and territorial issues.
Past visits to the shrine by Japanese leaders, Cabinet ministers and lawmakers drew sharp rebukes from Beijing and Seoul. Japan invaded a vast swath of China before World War II and colonized the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.
Some members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party still visited the shrine during the latest festival.
Among them are former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi and former industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura. Both had close ties with the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who visited Yasukuni as premier in 2013.
No sitting prime minister has paid a visit since then.
Yasukuni added wartime leaders, including Prime Minister Gen. Hideki Tojo, to the enshrined deities in 1978, stirring controversy at home and abroad. Tojo was executed by hanging for crimes against peace.
Related coverage:
70 lawmakers make cross-party visit to war-linked Yasukuni shrine
Japan PM Ishiba sends offering to war-linked Yasukuni shrine, no visit eyed
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kyodo News
31 minutes ago
- Kyodo News
Japan PM aims for nominal GDP to reach 1,000 tril. yen in 2040
KYODO NEWS - 8 hours ago - 22:02 | All, Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday that Japan should aim to boost its economy to 1,000 trillion yen ($7 trillion) in nominal terms in 2040, instructing his ruling party executives to include it in a pledge for this summer's nationwide election. The size compares with a nominal gross domestic product of around 600 trillion yen in 2024, which met a target set about a decade ago. Japan, however, had lost its status as the world's third-largest economy to Germany the previous year. Ishiba said that while giving priority to ensuring that wage growth consistently outpaces inflation, his Liberal Democratic Party will seek to achieve an over 50 percent increase in average income in the same time frame. The goals were set as the country's major political parties are looking at ways to woo voters with their campaign pledges for the House of Councillors, or upper house, election, with opposition parties calling for reducing the consumption tax to ease the pain of inflation on households. "I wanted to share with Japanese people what specifically a strong economy will look like," Ishiba told reporters. "I've instructed party executives to target nominal GDP of 1,000 trillion yen in 2040 and over 50 percent growth in average income at the top of our election promises" for the upper house contest, he added. Nominal GDP shows the size of an economy in current prices. Japan's economy expanded in 2024 when the country was reeling from the yen's persistent weakness and the resulting cost-push inflation. In the run-up to this summer's upper house election, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the biggest opposition force, is seeking to temporarily remove the consumption tax on food, currently at 8 percent, and offer cash handouts. Party leader Yoshihiko Noda said Monday that combatting inflation is a major theme for the upper house race, which will replace half of the 248-member chamber. Ishiba, however, has taken a cautious stance on lowering the consumption tax rate on food as an inflation-relief measure. The LDP's election chief Seiji Kihara said the party will consider "effective" cash handouts with the use of surplus tax revenue when it formalizes its election platform. Related coverage: Japan's top negotiator eyes U.S. trip this week for 6th tariff talks Many see continued cuts in bond buying as appropriate: BOJ chief Ueda Japan PM says mutual understanding "deepened" with Trump over tariffs
Japan Today
3 hours ago
- Japan Today
Japan to allocate ¥1.9 tril to quake recovery from FY2026-2030
The Japanese government will allocate around 1.9 trillion yen for reconstruction projects in northeastern areas affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami from fiscal 2026 through fiscal 2030, sources close to the matter said Monday. The third-phase budget reflects rising construction costs and marks an increase from the approximately 1.6 trillion yen allocated in the previous five-year phase through fiscal 2025, the sources said. The new budget will focus on revitalizing Fukushima Prefecture, including the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and final disposal of decontaminated soil. The government also appears to be prioritizing preparations for the return of evacuated residents, according to the sources. Three reactors at the Fukushima plant suffered meltdowns following the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, releasing massive amounts of radioactive material and contaminating surrounding land. The government plans to include the next-phase budget in its basic reconstruction policy, which is set to be revised this month. The funding will primarily come from revenue generated by the special reconstruction income tax. By prefecture, Fukushima's reconstruction budget will rise from the 1.1 trillion yen allocated in the second phase, with projects including support for reopening medical facilities and schools in areas where evacuation orders have been lifted. Meanwhile, Iwate and Miyagi prefectures are expected to see cuts from their respective 100 billion yen second-phase budgets, as housing and infrastructure reconstruction in affected areas has largely been completed. Reconstruction programs for the two prefectures in the third phase will cover mental health support and assistance for children, as needed. More than 33 trillion yen has been spent on reconstruction projects for the earthquake as of fiscal 2025. © KYODO
Japan Today
3 hours ago
- Japan Today
Ishiba aims for nominal GDP to reach ¥1,000 tril in 2040
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday that Japan should aim to boost its economy to 1,000 trillion yen ($7 trillion) in nominal terms in 2040, instructing his ruling party executives to include it in a pledge for this summer's nationwide election. The size compares with a nominal gross domestic product of around 600 trillion yen in 2024, which met a target set about a decade ago. Japan, however, had lost its status as the world's third-largest economy to Germany the previous year. Ishiba said that while giving priority to ensuring that wage growth consistently outpaces inflation, his Liberal Democratic Party will seek to achieve an over 50 percent increase in average income in the same time frame. The goals were set as the country's major political parties are looking at ways to woo voters with their campaign pledges for the House of Councillors, or upper house, election, with opposition parties calling for reducing the consumption tax to ease the pain of inflation on households. "I wanted to share with Japanese people what specifically a strong economy will look like," Ishiba told reporters. "I've instructed party executives to target nominal GDP of 1,000 trillion yen in 2040 and over 50 percent growth in average income at the top of our election promises" for the upper house contest, he added. Nominal GDP shows the size of an economy in current prices. Japan's economy expanded in 2024 when the country was reeling from the yen's persistent weakness and the resulting cost-push inflation. In the run-up to this summer's upper house election, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the biggest opposition force, is seeking to temporarily remove the consumption tax on food, currently at 8 percent, and offer cash handouts. Party leader Yoshihiko Noda said Monday that combatting inflation is a major theme for the upper house race, which will replace half of the 248-member chamber. Ishiba, however, has taken a cautious stance on lowering the consumption tax rate on food as an inflation-relief measure. The LDP's election chief Seiji Kihara said the party will consider "effective" cash handouts with the use of surplus tax revenue when it formalizes its election platform. © KYODO
