In overture to China, Japan PM may skip visit to war dead shrine

t_co

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A step in the right direction.

In overture to China, Japan PM may skip visit to war dead shrine | Reuters

(Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will likely skip visiting a shrine for war dead on a traditional remembrance day this month, a move he hopes will open the door to a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and mend badly frayed ties.

Whether Xi, faced with huge domestic challenges, is willing or able to risk responding to the overture remains in doubt. But relations between the world's second- and third-largest economies have now been hostile for months, with a row over disputed islands adding to wartime bitterness and a regional rivalry.

China and South Korea, occupied or colonized by Japan in the 20th century, are especially touchy about visits to Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese leaders because it also honors people convicted as war criminals by an Allied tribunal.

Conservatives like Abe say it is only natural to pay respects there to those who died for their country, especially on Aug 15, the anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War Two. Tokyo hopes that if Abe stays away on the day, it would score points in Beijing.

"Now is the most delicate time," said a government source with knowledge of discussions between Japan and China, who did not want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject. "It may be that when a leaders' summit takes place, we look back and say 'that was the start'."

Abe, 58, is keen to replicate one of the few successes of his troubled 2006-2007 term, when he thawed Sino-Japanese ties after a five-year chill during the tenure of his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, diplomatic experts say.

"Despite the hawkish persona that he puts forward, in 2006 he was the guy who began the post-Koizumi reconciliation process," said Sheila Smith, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations. "He sees himself as a statesman in the sense of being effective on the diplomatic scene."

Sino-Japanese ties went into a deep-freeze during Koizumi's term partly because of his annual visits to Yasukuni.

The deeply conservative Abe was able to warm up relations thereafter by never saying whether he would or would not visit Yasukuni, but in fact, staying away while in office.

Abe has since said he regretted that decision and visited Yasukuni after becoming ruling party leader in September.

Even if he does not visit the shrine in August, he would face pressure from his conservative base to visit the religious complex in central Tokyo in October at an autumn festival.

CREATIVE AMBIGUITY

Chinese state media, however, have issued a barrage of invective against Abe in recent weeks even as back-door diplomacy took place over repairing ties. The country's Foreign Ministry has accused him of simply "chanting empty slogans" in his push for talks with Xi.

China - which officially denies that any talks on a possible summit are taking place and shown no public signs of wanting one - may want assurances that Abe won't attend the shrine once a summit is done and dusted.

"The question of timing is pretty critical," CFR's Smith said. "If Abe goes (to Yasukuni) in October, it is disastrous for Xi if they are talking about a summit in September."

Japan-China ties took their latest nose-dive after Abe's predecessor nationalized the uninhabited isles in the East China Sea that are controlled by Japan but claimed by both countries.

Still, several Japanese politicians and officials, starting with Abe's junior coalition partner in January, have visited Beijing since he returned to office in December.

Plans for a trip to Beijing in May by Masahiko Komura, the vice president of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party were dropped after Finance Minister Taro Aso, who is also deputy prime minister, Taro Aso, visited Yasukuni in April.

But the diplomatic pace picked up in June, when Abe's foreign policy adviser Shotaro Yachi visited Beijing. Another adviser, Isao Iijima, followed suit last month ahead of an upper house election that cemented Abe's grip on power.

And on Tuesday, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki, met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.

For the leaders to meet, though, diplomats would have to exercise some deft verbal footwork find a formula that allows them to dial down tensions over the disputed East China Sea isles, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.

Japanese and Chinese ships and planes have been playing a risky game of cat-and-mouse near the islands, and activists from both sides are eyeing trips to the area around Aug 15.

China wants Japan first to acknowledge that a formal dispute over sovereignty exists, experts say, a step that Tokyo has rejected for fear it would undermine its claim.

Ambiguity could well be the easiest path to avoiding domestic backlashes, especially in China where public antipathy to Japan is running high. "Face-saving is involved," said a former Japanese diplomat. "Creative nuances might be necessary."

September could be one window for a summit, but skeptics note that Xi has his hands full with an economic slowdown, planned economic reforms, an anti-corruption campaign and a party plenum in September or October.

Doubts in Beijing about Abe's sincerity also run deep.

"Abe is being two-faced," said Li Xiushi at the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, which advises the government on foreign policy. "On one hand, he wants to strengthen the containment of China in the global arena ... On the other hand, he wants to pretend to the international and domestic audience: 'See how good my attitude is. I'm willing to negotiation. Only China is the tough one.' He wants to create this illusion."
 

amoy

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These freaks! Visit, no visit, visit, as if it were their trump card in diplomacy that can be played again and again. Chinese are not gullible now.

Is there a "shrine" in Germany for "war time dead" such as Hitler, Himmler or Goebbels? What would have Jews done if yes?

Sent from my 5910 using Tapatalk 2
 

W.G.Ewald

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These freaks! Visit, no visit, visit, as if it were their trump card in diplomacy that can be played again and again. Chinese are not gullible now.

Is there a "shrine" in Germany for "war time dead" such as Hitler, Himmler or Goebbels? What would have Jews done if yes?

Sent from my 5910 using Tapatalk 2
Yasukuni Shrine is in Tokyo, what the hell does it have to do with Chinese? And a shrine to war dead anywhere has nothing to do with honoring totalitarian leaders, Chinese are mastering the art of being offended for political gain. Nobody should be fooled.

I am developing a hearty dislike for Chinese drama queens on DFI. I had thought that BG Ray was sometimes too aggressive with Chinese posters, but now I understand completely. They are unrelenting with their propaganda, and I am sure their presence here is centrally controlled for the most part.

And just to be clear, J20! is an exception in my opinion.
@Ray @J20!
 
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Ray

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Yasukuni Shrine is in Tokyo, what the hell does it have to do with Chinese? And a shrine to war dead anywhere has nothing to do with honoring totalitarian leaders, Chinese are mastering the art of being offended for political gain. Nobody should be fooled.

I am developing a hearty dislike for Chinese drama queens on DFI. I had thought that BG Ray was sometimes too aggressive with Chinese posters, but now I understand completely. They are unrelenting with their propaganda, and I am sure their presence here is centrally controlled for the most part.

And just to be clear, J20! is an exception in my opinion.
@Ray @J20!
I think Chinese get spooked every time anyone visits that Shinto shrine because they are reminded of Nanking!

Nanking seems to have etched an indelible mark of fear in the Chinese psyche.
 
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W.G.Ewald

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I think Chinese get spooked every time anyone visits that Shinto shrine because they are reminded of Nanking!

Nanking seems to have etched an indelible mark of fear in the Chinese psyche.
Nanking should never be forgotten.

But communism killed more Chinese than the Japanese did.
 

Ray

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Nanking should never be forgotten.

But communism killed more Chinese than the Japanese did.
You mean that the Chinese people are dispensable?
 

cw2005

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Not all American agree with WGE as one of the war criminal in there was the one responsible for bombing the Pearl Harbour
 

amoy

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Yasukuni Shrine is in Tokyo, what the hell does it have to do with Chinese? And a shrine to war dead anywhere has nothing to do with honoring totalitarian leaders, Chinese are mastering the art of being offended for political gain. Nobody should be fooled.

I am developing a hearty dislike for Chinese drama queens on DFI.
If u're okay with worshiping war criminals like Hideki Tojo, who was hanged, or Isoroku Yamamoto, that's your choice. But to me they're the same stuffs as Himmler or Georing.

If u dislike this or that pls don''t reply to me lest I lose my temper.
 

cw2005

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My personal feeling is that, unlike Germen who learnt from history, the Japanese are trying hardly to beutified their criminal act during the War. A country refuses to admit their pass criminal act will repeat the same act in future. That is why the Chinese, the Korean, the people in SEA and even the Americans worry.
 

CCTV

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My personal feeling is that, unlike Germen who learnt from history, the Japanese are trying hardly to beutified their criminal act during the War. A country refuses to admit their pass criminal act will repeat the same act in future. That is why the Chinese, the Korean, the people in SEA and even the Americans worry.
America will be the only winner in any tension or war in Asia. So, Americans will happy to see this.
 

bose

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America will be the only winner in any tension or war in Asia. So, Americans will happy to see this.
I would say China is the main culprit here, its expansionist intension is not only forcing Japan to take a more aggressive approach also the other smaller countries are forced to align USA for good"¦
 

t_co

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I think Chinese get spooked every time anyone visits that Shinto shrine because they are reminded of Nanking!

Nanking seems to have etched an indelible mark of fear in the Chinese psyche.
Of course, just as Auschwitz is part of the Jewish people's collective memory, so is Nanking part of China's collective memory. @W.G.Ewald
 
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t_co

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I would say China is the main culprit here, its expansionist intension is not only forcing Japan to take a more aggressive approach also the other smaller countries are forced to align USA for good"¦
Not necessarily the main culprit. In any competition of dick waving, it takes two to tango. Certainly the nations of East Asia could have simply acceded to the new strategic environment and paid heed to the natural course of Chinese leadership, much as was the case from 800-1800 AD.
 

W.G.Ewald

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If u're okay with worshiping war criminals like Hideki Tojo, who was hanged, or Isoroku Yamamoto, that's your choice. But to me they're the same stuffs as Himmler or Georing.

If u dislike this or that pls don''t reply to me lest I lose my temper.
"The best fighter is never angry."
"• Lao Tzu

And a shrine to Japanese war dead is not a shrine to Japanese war criminals.
 

W.G.Ewald

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Of course, just as Auschwitz is part of the Jewish people's collective memory, so is Nanking part of China's collective memory. @W.G.Ewald
As I said, Nanking should never be forgotten.
 
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CCTV

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"The best fighter is never angry."
"• Lao Tzu

And a shrine to Japanese war dead is not a shrine to Japanese war criminals.
Since war criminals were inside the shrine, the shrine is not normal shrine anymore.
 

t_co

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Imagine if a German military memorial had private crypts for Hermann Goering, Wilhelm Keitel, Otto Ohlendorf, Jost, Naumann, Blobel, Blum, Sandberger, et. al., and Angela Merkel visited that memorial hall on Germany's equivalent of Veterans' Day to pay homage and 'pray for peace' - then asked France, Poland, or Russia for 'understanding'.
@W.G.Ewald
 
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bose

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Not necessarily the main culprit. In any competition of dick waving, it takes two to tango.
Then ... Why is that all are showing their dicks to China ??


Certainly the nations of East Asia could have simply acceded to the new strategic environment and paid heed to the natural course of Chinese leadership, much as was the case from 800-1800 AD.
If one goes by your logic north of China by now should be part of Mongolia... while Manchuria and south of China a part of Japan...
 

CCTV

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If one goes by your logic north of China by now should be part of Mongolia... while Manchuria and south of China a part of Japan...
Well, it could be , but only if Mongolia and Japan are strong enough. Otherwise that just a joke.
 

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