Tokyo, August 15: The Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo has once again become a focal point of Japan’s politics and diplomacy on the 81st anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi opted not to visit the shrine personally but sent a religious offering instead. In contrast, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and another cabinet minister made the trip to the shrine.
According to Yonhap, Takaichi sent the offering not as Prime Minister but as the head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Reports indicate that she used her personal funds for this gesture. Before becoming Prime Minister in October 2025, Takaichi regularly visited Yasukuni Shrine on August 15, but she has since refrained from personal visits.
A report from Reuters states that Yasukuni Shrine is dedicated to approximately 2.5 million people who died in Japan’s wars. The controversy arises because it also honors 14 Class-A war criminals convicted during World War II, including former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo. China and South Korea view visits by Japanese leaders to Yasukuni as attempts to glorify Japan’s militaristic past.
Takaichi’s decision to skip the shrine visit is significant given the already tense relations Japan has with China and ongoing efforts to improve ties with South Korea. A visit by the Prime Minister could have provoked sharp reactions from both China and South Korea.
However, some members of Takaichi’s cabinet took a different stance. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited Yasukuni on Saturday morning, becoming the first sitting defense minister to do so since 2024. Hitoshi Kikawada, the minister in charge of Northern Territories and Okinawa affairs, also visited the shrine.
Several senior leaders from the ruling LDP collectively paid their respects at Yasukuni, including party secretary-general Shunichi Suzuki.
The history of the Yasukuni controversy is deeply intertwined with Japan’s relations with its neighboring countries. Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945 and its occupation of large parts of China during World War II have led South Korea and China to view Yasukuni as a symbol of Japan’s wartime past and a lack of adequate historical atonement.
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