Member of the House of Representatives, The Diet (Japan's national legislature)
LDP Policy Chief commented on Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on April 24 as follows;
I believe that Japan-China relation is extremely important, however, it is none of their business how we Japanese honor and remember our soldiers who lost their lives during their services to our country. We decide on how we appreciate their services, therefore, I question why our visit to Yasukuni Shrine develops into a diplomatic issue.
(The above translation of her comment is provisional)
Every year a large number of people(300,000 visitors) show up for a summer festival at Yasukuni Shrine. The summer festival called "Mitama Matsuri", literally meaning "Spirits Festival" that was conceived and began in 1947 based on a Japanese custom "Obon" to honor the spirits of one's ancestors.
During the festival, more than 30,000 large and small Japanese paper lanterns including those with Japanese words and phrases written all around in Japanese calligraphy by the well-known people brighten the night sky of Kudan, Tokyo where Yasukuni Shrine is situated at while Shinto rituals are performed inside the main shrine every night to honor the spirits of those enshrined there.
The festival of Mitama at Yasukuni Shrine will last for three days from July 14 to July 16. It includes different types of dance generally known as Bon-Odori, etc.
クリックすると更に詳しい情報にアクセス可能です。 Click here to see photos of the festival.
A Mother of Kudan (where Yasukuni Shrine is situated at)
First sold in 1939
Composed by Mr. Hachiro Noshiro
Lyrics written by Mr. Akihito Ishimatu
Walking patiently on foot for hours, not knowing the way to Yasukuni Shrine from Ueno station to Kudan,
Relying on my cane, I have come all the way to see you "My son!".
Torri Gate seems thrusting in the sky,
I just can't help crying over happiness, knowing you are enshrined here as "a god" at such a magnificent shrine.
Putting my hands together and kneeling down, I pray for you with Buddha's words on the spur of the moment instead of worshiping you.
All of sudden realizing what I'm doing, I get confused and panicky over it. Oh! My son! Please forgive me for being a country bumpkin.
(The above is an translation by Ted Yokohama. All rights reserved)
同期の桜 Cheery Blossoms in the Same Year (Douki no Sakura)
You and I are cheery blossoms, blooming at the same military academy in the same year. We are determined to die like cheery blossoms fall off cherry trees. We will courageously die for our nation.
You and I are cheery blossoms, blooming at the same military academy in the same year. Although we are not related to one another by blood, we cannot help but care for one another.
You and I are cheery blossoms, blooming at the same air base in the same year. At sunset, looking up the southern sky, we do not see our squadron leader plane coming home yet.
You and I are cheery blossoms, blooming in the same year. We may fall off apart from one another. We will still meet again, blooming on cherry trees at Yasukuni Shrine in the spring
(The above is an translation by Ted Yokohama. All rights reserved)
You and I are cherry blossoms in the same year, blooming in the yard of the same military academy. We are determined to die like cheery blossoms fall off cherry trees. We will courageously die for our nation.
You and I are cherry blossoms in the same year, blooming in the yard of the same military academy. Although we are not related to one another by blood, we cannot help but care for one another.
You and I are cheery blossoms in the same year, blooming in the yard of the same air base. At sunset, looking up the southern sky, we do not see our squadron leader plane coming home yet.
You and I are cheery blossoms blooming in the same year. We may fall off apart from one another. We will meet again, blooming on cherry trees at Yasukuni Shrine in the spring.
(The above is an translation by Ted Yokohama. All rights reserved)
戦友よ安らかに Pray for those brave souls enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine
I have just been exposed to a story of Canadian man named Pierre Pariseau said to have obstructed "Authorized Gathering" held at Yasukuni Shrine where all Japanese nationals consider sacred and holy as it enshrines more than 2.46 million war dead and those who devoted lives to the nation.
I have read a few articles written in English (including The Japan Times: This paper no longer represents "Voice of Japan" at all.) dealing with this incident, which I believe all biased against Japan and her people due to their education received at schools.
It seems that they are all taught "Japan was an evil in every respect in the last war, so as to justify their atrocities committed against Japan and Asian states. Remember who colonized Asia and Africa. And, remember who stood up alone against the western colonialists to emancipate the Asian population from the western domination. Simply because Japan stood up for justice and freedom in Asia, Japan was regarded as an obstacle to realize the colonization of the entire world by the whites.
Just think, say, one Japanese man goes to Arlington Cemetery every year on Memorial Day and all of sudden tells the American families visiting there to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers "You would be arrested if you beautified the atrocities (Hiroshima massacre, Nagasaki massacre, etc.) your fathers and sons committed against Japan." The American families there would certainly get upset about it and would consider it obstructive to their holy and sacred service being conducted there.
Almost all articles treat those who appear in the video attached below, as right wingers or rightists. What they are all saying is that anyone who loves his one own country and wants to defend his own country is a rightist. Particularly every Japanese has to accept all the stories fabricated by the victors in the last war. Otherwise, they are all rightists. This is only a move to weaken Japan and her people, so as to control them as they wish.
Anyway, the video says in Japanese that he was taken to the Police Box called "KOBAN" based on KOBAN system (now well known in Asia and introduced through Japan's technical cooperation in the area of Criminal Justice in collaboration with the United Nations). He was questioned at "KOBAN" for about two hours and a half. It was found that his name is Pierre Pariseau and he is a Canadian wood furniture artist.
According to the witnesses, he has appeared at Yasukuni Shrine on August 15 for the last four years and has repeatedly obstructed the authorized gathering held at Yasukuni Shrine. He signed a letter of apology addressed to Mr. Tamogami, Yasukuni Shrine and Channel 2 Sakura.
It seems that this particular Canadian harbors a distorted perception of Japan being the same as "Nazi-Germany". Simply because Japan was tricked into a Tripartite Pact with Nazi-Germany by Adlof Hitler, it does not mean Japan had committed any atrocities as Nazi-Germany.
However, it is true that the allied powers used this mere fact of Japan having signed with Nazi-Germany as "a promotional material" in such a magnified manner as to defame Japan and her people. One good example I would like to cite here is that a Japanese diplomat saved more than 6,000 Jews from their plight. Ccompared with a German businessman named Oscar Schindler who saved 1,000 Jews, this Japanese diplomat has not been known to the world because the allied powers find it inconvenient and contradictory to what they have propagated.
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