Yasukuni Shrine Honors 2.4 Million War Dead as 14 War Criminals Fuel Regional Backlash
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 14
Yasukuni Shrine Honors 2.4 Million War Dead as 14 War Criminals Fuel Regional Backlash
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 14
Summary
More than 2.4 million people are enshrined at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, where annual Aug. 15 commemorations remain contentious because 14 Class-A war criminals are honored there alongside Japan’s war dead.
Founded in 1869 under Emperor Meiji, the shrine was built to honor those who died for the imperial cause, and its role deepened as State Shinto blurred patriotism, emperor worship and government authority.
A 1945 U.S. order abolished State Shinto and turned Yasukuni into a private religious corporation, but visits by Japanese leaders still raise constitutional questions at home and criticism from China and South Korea abroad.
The sharpest controversy dates to 1978, when the 14 war criminals were secretly enshrined; Emperor Hirohito never returned afterward, and his successors have sent emissaries but not visited in person.
For many bereaved families, especially with about 1 million wartime remains still unrecovered, Yasukuni is a spiritual site of mourning even as its museum and symbolism keep it tied to disputes over Japan’s wartime memory.