Abe made offering to Yasukuni Shrine instead of visiting

[Maneki Neko]

Abe made offering to Yasukuni Shrine instead of visiting
<DIV id=writer>By Hiroko Nakata
Staff writer
<DIV id=mainbody>
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe chose not to visit Yasukuni Shrine last month during its spring festival but did make a 50,000 yen private offering, a Yasukuni spokeswoman said Tuesday.
By taking this step instead of going to the shrine, Abe apparently hoped to avoid harsh criticism from Asia and appeared to be acknowledging warming relations with China, as seen in Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Japan from April 11 to 13.


"I want to keep on showing respect for those who fought for the country and died, and praying for their souls," Abe said in the evening, confirming his offering. He declined to comment on the details.


Read the full story at Japan Times Online (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070509a2.html)

[Wigent]

Mmm... I think he's playing safe. Being a leader is not easy. [:(]

For those who don't know, Yasukuni Shrine is where the war time soldiers are buried. They are looked-up as heroes of WWII by Japan. But of course, viewed as war time criminals by countries like the Philippines. Everytime a Japanese Prime Minister pays his tribute to Yasukuni Shrine would mean that he's paying high respect (or giving honor, something like that) to those Japanese soldiers who died during WWII. So everytime he does this, Chinese and Korean leaders react because they think those who are buried there are rapist and murderers.

So you see the different views of Japan and the rest of Asia. If you're the Japan Prime Minister, how should you go about it?