Japanese comedian sparks outrage with remarks on Yasukuni Shrine visits

Japanese comedian Hikari Ota has ignited controversy with his recent remarks on a television broadcast, advocating for Japanese prime ministers to make official visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. Ota stated on TBS's 'Sunday Japan' that it would be "ideal" if the prime minister could formally visit the shrine.

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Personally, I think it would be ideal if the Prime Minister could officially visit Yasukuni Shrine.

His comments come as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi opted to send a monetary offering to the shrine instead of visiting in person. Ota further questioned the historical narrative surrounding the shrine, which enshrines individuals convicted as Class-A war criminals from the Pacific War. He suggested that those designated as Class-A war criminals were not necessarily perpetrators of war crimes in the way Japan describes them, implying that the Tokyo Trials were a "victor's trial" that unfairly treated the victor and vanquished nations.

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The Tokyo Trials were a victor's trial, so I think there is an imbalance in how the victorious and defeated nations are treated.

Ota also controversially stated that the dropping of atomic bombs by the Allied forces could be considered a war crime. The Yasukuni Shrine is a site of national remembrance for Japanese war dead, but its enshrinement of Class-A war criminals makes visits by Japanese officials a sensitive issue for neighboring countries like South Korea and China, who view such actions as glorifying Japan's past militarism and aggression.

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Are only those designated as Class-A war criminals the perpetrators of the war? I think the side that dropped the atomic bombs is also a war crime.

Professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women's University criticized Ota's statements as a typical tactic to evade responsibility for Japan's history of wartime aggression and colonial rule, while emphasizing the responsibility of the victorious nations. Seo expressed concern that such remarks from a popular comedian on a major TV program could mislead public opinion and demanded a public apology from Ota, stressing the need for such incidents to not recur.

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This is a typical tactic to evade responsibility for Japan's wartime aggression and colonial rule by emphasizing the responsibility of the victorious nations.