Yasukuni debate reemerges as Koizumi prepares to leave

As Japan's post war constitution made a clear demarcation between religion and politics, the importance of Yasukuni diminished radically during the period immediately after the war. It was presumed, therefore, that a shrine built in the days after the Meiji restoration with the aim of fanning nationalistic sentiment based on state religion Shinto, had lived its days and was bound to become part of Japan's past history. But the subsequent developments surrounding the shrine seem to be giving a clear indication that the issue of nationalism and the need to fan nationalistic feeling among citizens never take into consideration any moral or constitutional binding. Politicians frequenting that narrow road of popularity always find their way to outmaneuver such obstacles. Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine now stands as a shining example of that reality.

Ever since the early days after the war important political figures belonging to Japan's political right had always been to the shrine to pay homage to the fallen victims and they paid that homage in strict Shinto style. As long as they did not do that officially, and as long as they did not hold any important public position, it was no problem at all for them in general or for the country in particular to go to the shrine to pray for the dead, as the constitutional binding does not put any restriction on religious practices of individual citizens. But crossing the border of decency was marked for the first time in 1978 when the Shrine included in the roster of spirits the class A war criminals. As a result, the list of names of the fallen heroes to whom the shrine is dedicated was extended to include a few more names of those who unfortunately were tried by an international tribunal and found guilty of war crimes in Asia. The controversy surrounding the shrine had its origin precisely in that particular step, not on what Japan did in other parts of Asia in 1930s and 1940s. The controversy intensified further when in 1985 the then Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone visited the shrine on August 15, the day Japan declared her unconditional surrender paving the way to end the war.

The shrine that standing the heart of Tokyo has gained international fame precisely because of such controversies it ignited ever since the names of Japan's wartime leaders were included in its list of honored fallen souls. Yasukuni is a Shinto shrine and the souls of Japan's war dead venerated there itself carries the message of a very religious nature. Those who visit the shrine, no doubt, pray for the salvation of the souls following a strict religious ritual.

The problem with Yasukuni, hence, may be seen as three-fold. First, by honoring a number of convicted war criminals, the shrine and those who regularly visit there to pray for the salvation of all souls venerated in the shrine are defying openly the international mechanism that was in place soon after the World War II. No doubt, those politicians who go to the shrine to pray for the salvation of all souls also fall into the same grouping. For them it should now considered to be the right time to announce in a clear and open voice if they do see the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal as an illegal set up that needs a through reassessment so that those convicted by the Tribunal get their names cleared. It should be noted that until now nothing of that sort have been uttered by them, though their acts precisely indicate that this is what they might be thinking about.

The second problem with Yasukuni, and probably a more serious one, is the violation of constitutional provision that makes a clear separation of religion and politics in Japan. Politicians going to the shrine and praying for the salvation of souls following a strict Shinto practice are no doubt deviating from the path that the constitution had laid very clearly. Moreover, using the issue as a political propaganda is also can be seen as a gross violation of the same constitutional provisions. It is interesting to note that at least two leading candidates aspiring to succeed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi after his retirement in September are using Yasukuni as a tool for their propaganda. One of them even suggested that if elected, he would not only go to the shrine to pray for the salvation of Japan's past fallen heroes, but he would also like to see that the Emperor too makes it his annual ritual to visit the shrine and pay homage to Japan's fallen victims.

And the third problem with Yasukuni is the position being held by the shrine and its patrons on Japan's wartime atrocities and on the leadership that directed the country towards that treacherous path. In addition to justifying the position being taken on the shrine and its veneration of the wartime leadership, a group of political leaders also have clearly suggested that they do not believe Japan had done anything wrong to her neighbors or to other Asian countries by invading and occupying territories.

Some even went step further to say that they consider Japanese occupation as a blessing for the occupied.

Controversies surrounding Yasukuni and efforts by various groups to use the issue for their own political benefit have turned the whole political debate surrounding the shrine utterly complicated. But it is interesting to note that the business leadership of Japan is well aware of such complications and came to a conclusion that it is now time for Japan to take bold steps to resolve the complicated problem. And they also made a clear suggestion on how to solve the problem.

Keizai Doyukai, the influential Japan Association of Corporate Executives, has urged the prime minister to refrain from visiting war-related Yasukuni Shrine. Its proposal was contained on Japan-China relations, which are in a deplorable state mainly due to Koizumi's repeated visits to the shrine. The corporate executives also urged the government to build a new memorial to honor all victims of war.

But Koizumi was swift to reject the call by saying he would not abide by and the business group was commenting on a strictly political matter. The frontrunner for the race of the premiership, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, too rejected the call and said that efforts should be first taken to solve misunderstanding if there is any.

Yasukuni, as a result, is heating up the arena of political debate as the race for leadership draws nearer.

Monzurul Huq is a columnist of The Daily Star.