Japanese PM sends support note to war criminals service
Print Edition
JAPANESE Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a message to an April memorial service dedicated to World War II war criminals, organizers said yesterday, in a move that prompted a criticism from China.
In the ceremony organized by former Japanese military officers, some 220 people prayed before a cenotaph on which the names of around 1,180 convicted World War II war criminals are inscribed.
They include 14 Class A war criminals, who are also enshrined at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, a spot seen as a symbol of Japan’s past aggression.
The service took place on April 29 at a temple in Wakayama prefecture in western Japan, and the master of the ceremony read the message from Abe.
In his message, Abe said: “I express my grief at the death of martyrs who sacrificed their lives to form the foundation of peace and prosperity in Japan today.”
“I pledge to work towards the future harmonious coexistence of human beings, and hope for eternal peace,” it said.
The ceremony has been held annually since 1994 when the cenotaph was established by Masashi Tsuno, a man arrested in the Philippines on suspicion of war crimes at the end of hostilities, but who was later acquitted.
Abe’s message to the ceremony could prove another thorn in the side of relations with China and South Korea, both of which have been angered by his visit to Yasukuni last December and his equivocation on Japan’s wartime wrongdoing.
China reacted angrily to the message, with a statement from foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei castigating Abe for his incorrect attitude to the past.
“Facing history, reflecting profoundly on past militarist aggression, and making a clean break with militarism are an important foundation for rebuilding and developing Japan's relationship with its Asian neighbors,” he said.
“We again urge the Japanese government to fulfil its commitment to reflecting on aggression, and to take concrete actions to win the trust of the people of its Asian neighbors and the international community.”
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