Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Yasukuni Shrine on Dec. 26. As expected, China and the Republic of Korea harshly criticized him. In the United States, the media was also critical. The New York Times published an editorial on Dec. 26 criticizing Abe’s visit to Yasukuni as a part of his effort aimed at “transforming the Japanese military from one that is strictly for territorial defense to one that can go to war anywhere.”
South Korea and Chinese reactions were predictable. After all, they criticized Mr. Abe harshly, deploring his tilt to the right even when he did not visit the shrine in autumn and dedicated an offering instead. Therefore, his actual visit to Yasukuni was guaranteed to bring about even harsher criticism by Beijing and Seoul.
To read the full op-ed, click here.