A look at the history and beliefs behind Japan’s controversial shrine to the war dead
- Yasukuni Shrine in central Tokyo honors more than 2.4 million people who died for Japan, including 14 war criminals.
- The shrine is a place of prayer and remembrance for some visitors, but it is also viewed in parts of Asia as a symbol of Japanese militarism.
- The shrine’s roots go back to the Meiji era, when Emperor Meiji ordered its construction in 1869 to honor those who died defending the imperial cause.
- Under State Shinto, the government controlled shrine practices and finances, and the line between patriotism and religion became blurred.
- After Japan’s surrender in World War II, U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur abolished State Shinto in December 1945, ending government funding for shrines and separating religion from the state.
Yasukuni Shrine in central Tokyo is described as both a memorial and a Shinto shrine. It honors more than 2.4 million people who died for Japan, including 14 war criminals who are also commemorated there on Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender.
For some worshippers and bereaved families, the shrine offers spiritual comfort and a place to express gratitude. For China and South Korea, however, it remains a symbol of Japan’s wartime militarism, and visits by Japanese leaders often draw criticism as evidence of insufficient remorse for wartime aggression.
The shrine’s history begins in the Meiji era, when Emperor Meiji ordered its construction in 1869 to honor those who died defending the imperial cause. The article explains that State Shinto later tied the shrine closely to the state, and that the postwar occupation period brought a formal separation of religion and government after U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur abolished State Shinto in 1945.
日本争议性战殁者神社背后的历史与信仰
东京靖国神社被描述为一座纪念设施，也是神道神社。这里供奉着超过240万人，包括14名战犯；每到8月15日，日本投降纪念日，这些人也会被一并纪念。
对一些参拜者和遗属来说，靖国神社提供了精神慰藉，也是表达感激与哀思的场所。但在中国和韩国看来，它仍是日本战时军国主义的象征，日本领导人参拜常被批评为对侵略历史反省不足。
报道追溯了神社的历史：明治时代，明治天皇于1869年下令修建这座神社，用来纪念为天皇体制而死的人。文章还指出，国家神道时期神社与国家高度绑定；二战后，美国将领麦克阿瑟于1945年废除国家神道，推动宗教与国家分离。