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Thumbs down for war memorial It was announced Dec. 9 that the government had decided against allocating money for a secular memorial where politicians could give their respects to war dead instead of visiting Yasukuni Shrine, which China and Korea say glorifies Japan's wartime aggression. The decision not to allocate any funds in the 2006 budget took into account a split in opinion within the Liberal-Democratic Party and among the general public. About 46 percent of 1,046 randomly selected respondents in a telephone poll released by public broadcaster NHK in November said they support building a new secular war memorial, while 34 percent were opposed. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's has gone to Yasukuni Shrine five times since becoming prime minister in 2001, most recently in October. The idea of an alternative, secular memorial has long been the subject of government discussions as a way to appease Japan's neighbors, but has so far failed to gain any serious support from lawmakers. It is opposed by a powerful lobbying group of family members of the war dead, which strongly supports Yasukuni Shrine.
The Japan Times Weekly: Dec. 17, 2005 |
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