PM Takaichi Unlikely to Visit Yasukuni Shrine on War Anniversary

Tokyo, Aug. 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to skip a visit to Tokyo’s war-related Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, the anniversary of the country’s surrender in World War II, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday. She is apparently considering the need to maintain good relations with South Korea and smooth the way for diplomatic events in the months to come, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to be held in China in November. The Shinto shrine is regarded by neighboring Asian countries such as South Korea and China as a symbol of Japan’s wartime militarism, as it honors Class-A war criminals along with the nation’s war dead. Takaichi is unlikely to visit Yasukuni Shrine “because doing so could complicate relations with South Korea,” a person close to the prime minister said. Japanese and South Korean leaders regularly meet through so-called shuttle diplomacy. Takaichi hosted South Korean President Lee Jae-myung for talks in her home prefecture of Nara in January, while she visited Andong, Lee’s hometown, for a meeting in May. “If the prime minister visits Yasukuni Shrine, the president would feel betrayed. That could trigger a shift away from the current positive momentum in Japan-South Korea relations,” a person familiar with diplomatic relations between the two countries said. Additionally, Takaichi faces a busy diplomatic schedule beginning this autumn, including delivering a speech at the U.N. General Assembly and participating in the Group of 20 summit. In particular, attention is growing over whether Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit as relations between the two countries have been strained since the Japanese leader’s remarks about a potential Taiwan conflict last November. Asked about the possibility of a Japan-China summit at a press conference on July 27, Takaichi said only, “I look forward to the APEC summit.” A visit to Yasukuni Shrine by the prime minister would almost certainly draw a strong reaction from China and pose a significant obstacle to holding a Takaichi-Xi summit. Another likely reason for skipping a visit to Yasukuni Shrine is that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is worried about worsening Japan-China relations. In July, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he was concerned about ties between the countries. The United States expressed disappointment when then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the shrine in 2013. Takaichi “will not visit the shrine this time. We need to create an environment for this in advance,” a lawmaker in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party close to her said. She previously visited Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15 every year. Since taking office as prime minister in October last year, she has not visited the shrine. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]