Asia-Wide Campaign against U.S.-Japanese domination and aggression of Asia

AWC-Japan

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[Statement]

1. Japanese Prime Minister Sinzo Abe visited to the Yasukuni shrine on the morning of December 26, 2013. We vehemently condemn it. This is a shameful desecration of all the victims of Japanese imperialist's war of aggression in Asia. This is also just confrontation and hostile act against all people in Asia as well as peace-loving people in Japan.

2. Since after the launching of the Abe administration, the cabinet members and many Diet members who belong to the 'Lawmaker's Association for collective visit to the Yasukuni shrine' had visited to the shrine at the time of the annual spring and autumn festival of the shrine. The 'Lawmaker's Association' is composed of Diet members from the Liberal Democratic Party, the Japan Restoration Party and the Democratic Party of Japan (partially).

   Facing with the protest by the governments of South Korea, China and others, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe justified their visit to the Yasukuni shrine, saying 'It is a matter of course to secure the freedom to express one's respect and worship to precious souls of the war dead. We will not yield to any kind of intimidation.' Abe regarded the protest by South Korean and Chinese governments as intervention in domestic affair, and blamed it arrogantly.

3. The Yasukuni shrine had been a spiritual backbone of Japanese imperialist army or Japanese Emperor's army that had carried out invasive war in Asia. It honors dead Japanese soldiers whose loyalty were to the Emperor as 'spirits of the war dead'. Even after 1945, the year of Japan's defeat on invasive war in Asia, it was dedicated to the class B /C war criminals, and then the class-A war criminals. Until now, managers of the Yasukuni shrine has denied the judgment in the Tokyo Trials or International Military Tribunal for the Far East, and justified the invasive war in Asia that Japanese imperialism had carried out. Prime Minister Abe also justifies the past Japan's invasive war in Asia and honors the dead for Emperor and the state in his real intention.

   Now, the Abe administration try to consolidate the US-Japan military alliance and change the Self Defence Forces of Japan (Japanese military) into the armed forces that can engage actual combat in the world along with the US forces. The administration already built the Japanese National Security Council (headquarters for possible invasive war) and enacted the National Secret Protection Act in spite of massive people's opposition. It also aim to amend the article 9 of the Japanese Constitution (the Peace provision) and build the National Defense Forces (instead of present Self Defense Forces) as ultimate purpose for Japanese militarization.

   The Abe administration never reflect Japan's past invasive war in Asia, and move to establish Japan as a War State that can carried out invasive war again. It propagate chauvinism and racism taking advantage of territorial dispute over Diaoyu Islands and Dokto Island, and intend to intensify its military building-up. The Abe's visit to the Yasukuni shrine is a part of these Japanese militarization and a maneuver for justifying Japan's past invasive war in Asia and glorifying the war dead for the Japanese emperor and the state.

4. Again, we vehemently condemn Prime Minister Sinzo Abe's visit to the Yasukuni shrine. We strongly demand that he would never worship at the shrine. On this time, he suddenly visited the shrine without any notice because he was afraid of rising of local and international voice of outrage and direct protest action. We declare here that we will stop his visit to the Yasukuni Shrine directly in solidarity with Asian people, if he would visit to it again regardless of large opposition in Japan and Asia.