Shinzo
Abe was the first Japanese prime minister to visit the Yasukuni
shrine in Tokyo in seven years, yielding
the same kind of criticisms Junichiro Koizumi got from China
and South Korea on his annual trips to Yasukuni, where 2.5 million
veterans are enshrined, including several war criminals convicted
in the post-WW2 tribunal in Tokyo. Hirohito, who was Emperor of
Japan during World War II and until his death in 1989,
refused to visit the shrine after top war criminals were
enshrined there in the 70s. Add to the list of outraged countries
the United States.
From USA Today:
The United States has joined China and South Korea in
criticizing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for visiting a war
shrine in Tokyo.“Japan is a valued ally and friend,” said a statement from the
American Embassy in Tokyo. “Nevertheless, the United States is
disappointed that Japan’s leadership has taken an action that will
exacerbate tensions with Japan’s neighbors.”
Read the rest of the statement here.
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from Hit & Run http://reason.com/blog/2013/12/26/us-disappointed-in-japanese-prime-minist
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