The Japanese government lacks a strong commitment to improving relations with China, said a Japanese scholar when commenting on the recent official offering or visits by Japanese government officials to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a monetary offering to Yasukuni Shrine on Monday, local media reported.
Takaichi made the offering to the shrine in Tokyo, a symbol of Japanese militarism and wartime aggression, for its autumn festival through senior officials of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Kyodo News reported.
On the same day, land minister Tatsunori Ibayashi visited the notorious shrine, which honors 14 convicted Japanese Class-A war criminals from World War II, as did LDP election chief Yasutoshi Nishimura and a cross-party lawmakers' group.
Yasukuni Shrine has long been a source of diplomatic friction between Japan and its neighbors. Visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese officials to the controversial shrine have consistently sparked criticism and opposition both at home and abroad.
Atsushi Koketsu, professor emeritus at Yamaguchi University, said Tokyo still lacks a strong commitment to improving relations with Beijing.
"At a time when relations with China have deteriorated so severely, whether the act is indirect or direct, it is effectively the same. Paying respects at Yasukuni Shrine even indirectly, a willingness to improve Japan-China relations inevitably has to be viewed negatively, as suggesting there is no genuine intention or commitment. In that sense, I believe the Ministry of Defense and the Japanese government still lack a strong commitment to improving relations with China. The sense of purpose for reconciliation is still very weak," he said.
Japan lacks strong commitment to mending ties with China: Japanese scholar
