Takaichi Keeps Revisionist View on August 15th

The Sanae Takaichi government held a memorial ceremony for war victims at Nippon Budokan on August 15th. The prime minister refused to succeed her predecessor’s view on history of Japan by not using “introspection” or “pledge of no war” in her statement to the ceremony. She instead gave a prayer to Yasukuni Shrine from Budokan and some of her ministers made visit to the shrine, inviting firm opposition of neighbor countries. 

The government of Japan keeps on holding the ceremony with request of the families of war victims every year since 1952. The emperor and political leaders headed by the prime minister have been participating in it. The families who attended the ceremony this year amounted to 3,112. “Never let devastation of war again. I will succeed this determination beyond generations,” said Takaichi in her speech to the ceremony.

 

The news of prime minister’s speech this year was returning to revisionist stance on post-war history. Former prime minister Shigeru Ishiba insisted that Japan needed to engrave introspection and lessons of the war. “We will succeed tragic memory of war and determined pledge against war beyond generations and maintain actions for eternal peace even how long time passes,” said Ishiba in the ceremony last year.

 

Takaichi pretended to succeed the line drawn by Ishiba. “We will succeed this determination beyond generations even how long time passes,” said Takaichi. What determination would she be succeeding? It was a pledge not to “let” someone wage a war. Former prime ministers at least talked about the war based on the notion that Japan had started it. But Takaichi’s sentence implied her recognition that the war was started by someone else and Japan was not responsible for that.

 

It was Tomiichi Murayama who referred to “introspection” and “pledge of no war” in the ceremony for the first time as the prime minister. His successors kept that expression. Former premier Shinzo Abe refused to use those words in 2013, with his unilateral question: How long Japan needs to apologize? Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida followed Abe. After Ishiba’s changing course, Takaichi brought back the government’s stance to the line of Abe.

 

On the other hand, Takaichi refrained from visiting Yasukuni Shrine, where the leaders of Japan’s Imperial Army including war criminals are enshrined, on August 15th. She had been a proponent of prime minister’s visit to the shrine, regardless strong opposition of neighbor countries such as China. While she approved prime minister’s visit to the shrine in the presidential campaigns in 2021 and 2024, she did not make it clear in 2025 election. Pressure from neighbor countries might have caused her reconsideration.

 

From Takaichi Cabinet, four minister including Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited Yasukuni Shrine to give a pray on August 15th. Three board members of the Liberal Democratic Party including Secretary General Shun-ichi Suzuki also made their visits. One of the hawkish figures, policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi, did not visit Yasukuni for management of heavy storm in his election district in Chiba. Eighty-nine lawmakers beyond party line visited the shrine on the day.

 

China accused of visiting the war shrine by political leaders of Japan. “While professing a commitment to peace, they continue to pay homage to those responsible for the war. Such hypocrisy fully exposed the gravely distorted view of history held by Japan’s right-wing forces and their dangerous attempt to revive militarism,” said Jiang Bin, spokesperson for Chinese defense ministry. Takaichi took no action to improve already deteriorated relations with China, as she maintains her position of no regret about the war.

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