Takaichi to Skip Yasukuni Visit on Surrender Anniversary
Crhk · 4 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Japanese media reported that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi does not plan to visit Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, the 81st anniversary of Japan’s wartime surrender, despite her long-standing support for such visits before taking office. Reports said she weighed the diplomatic fallout for improving Japan-South Korea ties, trilateral cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea, and likely strong opposition from China. Instead of a personal visit, she offered ritual money in her capacity as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, while attending the national memorial ceremony at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan. At the same time, senior LDP officials discussed or carried out a rare group visit to the shrine, and Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also paid his respects there in person.
Key Points
- Kyodo News, cited by local reports, said Takaichi decided against a 15 August shrine visit because of likely diplomatic damage with China and South Korea.
- CRHK said Takaichi also intended to focus on reconstruction after the Kumamoto earthquake rather than make a politically charged shrine appearance
- Bastille Post reported Takaichi instead paid for a tamagushi offering in her role as LDP president, continuing a practice followed by prime ministers for 14 straight years
- Sing Tao said she attended the national war-dead memorial at Nippon Budokan, where about 4,200 people joined the ceremony at around 11:50am
- According to Sing Tao, Takaichi did not enter the shrine but made a remote prayer gesture toward Yasukuni from the Budokan parking area
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the episode matters because Yasukuni-related gestures often trigger sharp reactions in China and can quickly affect the regional diplomatic climate that shapes East Asian security and business sentiment. The combination of Takaichi’s restraint, ritual offering and parallel visits by LDP leaders shows how Tokyo is trying to balance domestic conservative pressure against external political costs.