A month before Beijing and Tokyo prepare to commemorate the highly sensitive 60th anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender on August 15, relations between the two neighbors are dangerously strained over a host of historical, territorial and economic disputes.
The current focal point of bilateral tension is the annual pilgrimage of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which serves as a memorial for Japan’s war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals, among them wartime leader General Hedeki Tojo.
Despite being at the center of China-Japan friction, Koizumi and his supporters’ justification for his Yasukuni forays remains largely a mystery to most non-Japanese. This is because arguments in favor of the shrine excursions are generally not presented in the English media in a coherent and detailed manner. However, analyzing these explanations offers significant insights into key issues at the heart of current China-Japan tensions, something which will become increasingly important if bilateral dialogue deteriorates further.
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