[PINR] 16 August 2006: Koizumi's Visit to Yasukuni Marks the Final Act of Koizumi Theater

august 15th, 2006

since the yanks are making such a fuss about yasukuni, the right response would be for the japanese to shout about bush visiting the arlington national cemetery. war criminals like the generals who oversaw the my lai massacre and the bombardment of cambodia are interred in america's cemeteries, so bush shouldn't go there.

but then, the definition of war criminal is "someone who kills white people", just like the definition of "terrorist".

since the generals mentioned above (westmoreland? et al?) mostly killed yellow-brown people, by definition they are not "war criminals". never mind, my mistake.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: PINR Dispatch <dispatch@pinr.com>
Date: Aug 16, 2006 7:36 AM
Subject: [PINR] 16 August 2006:  Koizumi's Visit to Yasukuni Marks the Final Act of Koizumi Theater
To:

_______________________________________ Power and Interest News Report (PINR) http://www.pinr.com content@pinr.com +1 (312) 242-1874 ------------------------------ 16 August 2006 Koizumi's Visit to Yasukuni Marks the Final Act of Koizumi Theater Drafted By: Adam Wolfe http://www.pinr.com On the morning of August 15, to mark the 61st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, Junichiro Koizumi prayed at the Yasukuni war shrine for the last time as Japan's prime minister. His visit fulfilled a campaign promise to visit the shrine on the anniversary (previously, he visited near the date, but never on August 15). As expected, his presence drew protests from China and South Korea. A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said the visit "challenges international justice and tramples the conscience of mankind." While Koizumi's visit will further strain relations between Japan and China and South Korea, the prime minister will step down in September. Koizumi's dramatic political moves and unique public appearances have become known as "Koizumi Theater" in Japanese media. While it is unlikely that Koizumi's replacement will continue his theatrics, the question now is whether his replacement will move to repair relations with Japan's neighbors or shore up domestic support for a more independent foreign policy and stronger military by continuing the shrine visits. The Controversy Surrounding Yasukuni Founded in 1869, and administered by the military until the U.S. occupation banned Shintoism in 1945, the shrine commemorates the souls of those who have died in domestic and overseas wars. Over 2.5 million people are enshrined at Yasukuni, including 14 Class A war criminals such as General Hideki Tojo, who was hanged for crimes against humanity. The museum claims that Japan fought WWII to liberate Asia from colonial rule, glosses over the events at the Rape of Nanking, and states that Japan was forced into the war by the United States. ... deleted