Chinese Herald News Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba offered an offering called "Masakaki" at the Yasukuni Shrine's regular autumn festival that began on October 17.
On the morning of the 17th, Prime Minister Ishiba, in the name of "Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba," presented Masakaki to the Yasukuni Shrine at his own expense. According to a person familiar with the matter, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will not visit the Yasukuni Shrine during the regular ceremony.
Prime Minister Ishiba did not visit the Yasukuni Shrine before taking office, nor did he pay homage to Masakaki. NHK reported that a source said, "This visit follows the practice of previous prime ministers such as former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga."
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki said at a press conference on the 17th, "The government does not express its opinion on this matter. The prime minister will make an appropriate judgment on whether or not the prime minister will visit the Yasukuni Shrine during the regular autumn festival. ”
During the three years that former Prime Minister Kishida was in office, he offered Masakaki to the Yasukuni Shrine at the spring and autumn festivals, and on the post-war anniversary, he offered jade skewers to the Yasukuni Shrine, but he did not pay a visit. The last time the current prime minister visited the Yasukuni Shrine was in December 2013, when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the shrine.
Within the Liberal Democratic Party, Minister in charge of economic security and security of Sanae Takaichi, who has made it clear that he will continue the Abe line, visited and visited the Yasukuni Shrine on the 17th.
At present, the House of Representatives election is underway, and only a few LDP figures who visited the Yasukuni Shrine on the 17th were those who were in charge of economic security in front of Sanae Takaichi. The non-partisan "Diet Members' Meeting to Visit the Yasukuni Shrine Together" is coordinating a group visit after the election.
On the 17th, the President of the House of Councillors, Hidehisa Otsuji, and the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, Shiroshi Fukuoka, also accepted Masakaki, and no minister from Shigeru Ishiba's cabinet has visited the Yasukuni Shrine.
In response to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's acceptance of "Masakaki", a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea made a comment, expressing "deep disappointment and regret." "The responsible leaders of the new cabinet need to face history head-on and show genuine reflection on the past through actions, which is an important foundation for building a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship," the spokesperson stressed.
At a regular press conference of the Chinese Foreign Ministry on 17 July, a Kyodo News reporter asked: Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba cooperated with the Yasukuni Shrine's regular autumn festival on 17 May and offered an offering called "Masakaki" in the name of "Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru." According to sources, Shigeru Ishiba will not visit during the regular festival that lasts until the 19th. Do you have any comment?
Spokesman Mao Ning pointed out: The Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japan's militarism waging a war of aggression against foreign countries, and enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals who bear serious responsibility for the war of aggression. We urge the Japanese side to face up to and reflect on its history of aggression, be prudent in its words and deeds on historical issues such as the Yasukuni Shrine, make a thorough break with militarism, adhere to the path of peaceful development, and win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community with concrete actions.