Yasukuni Visit by Self-Defense Force

Some members of Ground Self-defense Force visited Yasukuni Shrine in the afternoon of January 9th. Enshrining A-class war criminals in the World War II, the shrine is known as a symbol of Japan’s aggression by the imperial military. While individual visit is not regulated in context of freedom of religion, Ministry of Defense has a domestic rule of prohibiting the members of Self-defense Force to make visit as a unit. There are some evidences that they deliberately planned that visit.

The predecessor of Yasukuni Shrine is Shokonsha, a facility which remembered victims of a civil war just before Meiji Restoration. After renamed by Meiji government, it enshrined about 2.5 million of war victims including those at Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War or World War II. Annual visit of the prime minister or some lawmakers in the Diet is controversial, with the argument that it may approve wartime aggression, if they pray for A-class war criminals.

 

Tens of GSDF members who visited Yasukuni were the members of Investigation Committee of Aviation Accident in the ministry. According to a report of Mainichi Shimbun, the visitors included the chairman of committee, Hiroki Kobayashi (General), and other board members of the committee. Some member had been waiting the visitors and escorted them to the precinct. 

 

The ministry revealed that the visitors had made a document for the visit, which described the purpose as enhancing recognition for eliminating accidents or failures in aviation. A helicopter crushed offshore Miyakojima Island, Okinawa, last April and five out of ten crews were found dead. The rest of five are still missing. It is still not clear whether the visit was related to the accident.

 

While the visitors had submitted notifications to their office that they would take a short recess for the afternoon, some leaders including Kobayashi used official cars to go to the shrine. The ministry explained that using official cars was to get back to their office soon, at the time SDF was busy in dealing with the great earthquake in Noto Peninsula. It was announced that there was no coercive order to participate in the visit among committee members.

 

Vice-minister of the ministry issued an order in 1974 that prohibited SDF members to visit a place for religious worships as a unit, and to coerce participation to the colleagues. The ministry recognized that the visit may be categorized as official visit and violate the order. It began investigation to the visitors. “We need to avoid any activities which invites misunderstanding,” said Minister of Defense, Minoru Kihara, in his press conference.

 

This is not only about freedom of religion but civilian control. It is questionable why did they visit that controversial shrine to pray for safety of aviation. Their activity cannot help bringing dispute over ideological meaning of the visit. If Prime Mnister Fumio Kishida had been taking good care of safety of aviation in SDF, or taken necessary measures not to repeat helicopter accident with deep condolences, the visit may not be taken place. 

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