Aso May Visit War Shrine
By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso said Monday that whether he visits the controversial Yasukuni war shrine or not in the future would ``depend on individual circumstances,'' according to Yonhap News Agency.
Aso made the comment on the possibility of visiting the war shrine during a meeting for the upper house of parliament in Tokyo.
He said his official approach regarding this issue would differ from a personal opinion or belief, Yonhap said.
Aso's remark represents a more forceful statement on this hot-button issue compared to one he made last October.
Then, Aso offered a more ambiguous commentary, saying that he can't say he will visit the shrine, while at the same time adding that he also can't promise he would not visit it in the future either.
Political observers say Aso's toughened approach and his apparent willingness to at least seriously consider visiting the controversial shrine may be a political ploy.
Currently, his approval ratings are below 20 percent, representing a steady decline since taking office last September.
Some news reports speculate that Aso may decide to pay reverence at the shrine as a political gesture and to consolidate support from conservative and right-wing, nationalist groups ahead of the parliamentary election this year.
Aso had previously visited Yasukuni before becoming prime minister. Last year, he had remarked that he and his material grandfather, former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, had paid respects to the war dead at the shrine in 2007.
A visit to the shrine could help Aso in internal politics, but such a move would seriously undermine diplomatic efforts with Korea and China.
Visits to the shrine by Japan's top officials have long been a thorny diplomatic issue. For example, former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the shrine sparked anti-Japanese sentiment and protests in the two neighboring countries. Tokyo's relations with Seoul have only recently begun to recover.
Yasukuni is a memorial to Japanese war dead that many Asian governments, particularly South Korea and China and Taiwan, see as a glorification of Japan's past militarism. Remains of 14 convicted ``Class-A'' war criminals are interred at the shrine, which also honors some 2.5 million of Japan's dead soldiers.
Seoul and Tokyo have been making diplomatic strides in recent months. In January, Aso paid a state visit to Seoul in what many observers saw as a resumption of shuttle diplomacy.
The Japanese Prime Minister said during the January visit that he and President Lee Myung-bak would work side-by-side to address the region's financial and economic problems and help overcome the global recession.