U.S. troops advised no to visit Japanese wartime shrine

It has been widely publicized that United States military leaders in Japan advised their troops not to visit Tokyo's notorious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine before U.S. President Barack Obama's visit here in April.

The deliberate move by the U.S. military was to ensure that the feelings of South Korea and China were respected as both of these countries suffered under Japan's brutal imperialism during World War II and Yasukuni Shrine still stands as the living embodiment of such imperialism and military barbarity.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who visited the shrine last December, opted not to visit the war-linked shrine on the recent 69th anniversary of Japan's surrender at the end of WWII, although he sent a ritual offering by proxy and allowed three of his Cabinet members to attend in person.

This drew the ire of countries that were colonized by Japan during WWII as Yasukuni enshrines not just 2.5 million soldiers killed in past wars, but 14 Class-A convicted war criminals from WWII.

The furore surrounding Japanese leaders visiting Yasukuni has clearly been heard by the United States and it would then stand to reason that in the future, military personnel as well as regular citizens and tourists may, be strongly advised not to visit the controversial shrine, as their presence there does little to honor the more than 10,000 American lives that were lost fighting against Japan in WWII.

"Abe in the past has tried to draw comparisons between him visiting or paying tributes via an aide at Yasukuni Shrine and an American President visiting Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. But the fact of the matter is the differences between the two places are vast," Dr. David McLellan, a professor emeritus of postgraduate Asian Studies in Tokyo, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"Arlington stands as an eternal memorial of the sorrow of the United States and the bodies buried or ashes interred there of service people and their families, are done so regardless of religion or race. In stark contrast, Yasukuni is a religious shrine devoted to propagate the supremacy of the Shinto faith, the holiness of the Emperor and, in no uncertain terms, the glory of Japan's militarism and past imperialism.

"There are no similarities whatsoever," McLellan added.

Senior U.S. military personnel and visiting dignitaries who do their due diligence are quick to realize that Yasukuni Shrine, located in Tokyo's Chiyoda ward, served as the "command headquarters" of State Shinto, a religion that saw Japan's emperor as a "living god" and enlisted Japanese civilians to fight a "holy war" on behalf of their "god."

The shrine itself is run by a private foundation and the 14 Class-A war criminals' "souls" were enshrined there without the public's knowledge in 1978, by the clandestine foundation.

The foundation, which also runs Yasukuni's museum, nowadays openly depicts the war criminals as martyrs and misrepresents Japan's war in China as an act of "suppression" rather than one of aggression.

The museum has numerous displays depicting Japan's war-time endeavors, but has blatantly misrepresented the actual facts, in not referring to the well-documented Nanking Massacre, chemical and other heinous experiments conducted on prisoners of war and the suffering of thousands of comfort women at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army, for instance.

Hence, politicians who visit the shrine insisting they are paying tribute to the lives lost in WWII, are, wittingly or otherwise, extremely misguided and this extends to U.S. military personnel too.

Former Emperor Hirohito stopped visiting the shrine in 1978 because of the enshrinement of war criminals there and Japan's current emperor Akihito has continued the imperial family's moratorium on visits to the shrine -- a loosely veiled site of overt nationalistic propaganda, that glorifies Japan's militaristic past.

It's natural for U.S. troops wherever they're stationed to pay their respects at internationally-recognized memorials, but Yasukuni in no way falls under this category and the Shrine's propaganda serves only to perpetuate an ignorant understanding of Japan's involvement in WWII," McLellan said.

"If the troops don't have access to the true facts about the shrine, then their visits can actually be documented and used by the shrine as a tacit indication that the shrine is 'accepted' by or popular with non-Japanese service people and this plays into the loosely-concealed historical lies, Yasukuni is hiding, yet perpetuating."

"I'm in total agreement that, as with when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel came to Tokyo, they opted to visit the nationally-recognized Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery -- located just minutes from Yasukuni -- to pay their respects to both Japanese and American lives lost during the war, U.S. troops here should do the same."

McLellan went on to say that this should become the modus operandi for troops stationed in or visiting Japan and, in an ideal world, all non-Japanese here too looking for a nationally- recognized place to pay their respects, in an effort to reveal Yasukuni for the ultra-national, physical lie that it is, and to pass this message on to the world, and then back to regular Japanese citizens, so they don't accept their leaders' ill-advised visits or offerings.

He said it was highly likely that in the future less and less foreign visitors, including U.S. troops, would visit Yasukuni, once more knowledge about Yasukuni is disseminated globally.

In addition, spokespeople from both the U.S. Naval Air Facility Atsugi and United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka, told Xinhua that they were indeed aware of the controversy surrounding the shrine, although were unaware of all of the historical details relating to the shrine and its museum.

"We will deal with planned visits by troops to locations off base on a case-by-case and merit basis. We are aware that Washington was displeased with Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe's visit to the shrine in December and we take this into consideration, when it comes to planned activities," said a spokesperson for United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka.

On whether American citizens should also boycott visits to the shrine, The Embassy of the United States in Tokyo told Xinhua that it was, "up to the individual to make choices based on their own beliefs and convictions, but suggested that in instances where a historical or religious site was the center of controversy, to exercise caution and research the official details objectively." Enditem