Madam, - I write in response to your Editorial of October 19th, "Japan's war dead".
While I appreciate your interest in East Asian regional peace and stability, which all of us in Japan fully share, I find it necessary to put the whole matter of Yasukuni Shrine in its proper perspective and to correct some of the points raised in the article.
The fundamental facts about Mr Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine are as follows: prime minister Koizumi is of the firm conviction that Japan's present peace and prosperity are founded on the noble sacrifices made by those who lost their lives in the war. He visits Yasukuni Shrine to mourn and offer his respect and thanks to those who had to lay down their lives on the battlefield against their will; to reaffirm the importance of ensuring the present peace and prosperity of Japan, which those who died in the war were unable to witness; and to uphold Japan's pledge not to engage in a war. He makes the visits as an individual citizen, not in an official capacity.
It is erroneous to view prime minister Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine as an attempt to glorify Japan's past militarism. The prime minister has stated clearly that the purpose of his visits to the shrine is to express respect and gratitude to the many people who lost their lives in the war, that he does not visit for the sake of the Class-A war criminals, and that Japan accepted the results of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. He has acknowledged that Japan, "through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations". The prime minister has repeatedly declared that Japan should squarely face "these facts of history in a spirit of humility, and with feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology always engraved in mind" and asserted Japan's "resolve to contribute to the peace and prosperity of the world, prizing the relationship of trust it enjoys with the nations of the world". He recently conveyed this message to the international community in his speech at the Asian-African Summit in April 2005 and reaffirmed it in his statement in August on the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
East Asia today is increasingly well placed to become one of the most developed regions in the world. The formation of a future East Asian community is a common goal for the countries of the region. At this historic turning point, Japan is determined to contribute constructively to the future of East Asia and, to that end, places great importance on its friendly relations with neighbouring Asian countries, including China and the Republic of Korea. Japan has demonstrated this spirit through its actions over the past 60 years. The task of further strengthening its relations with neighbouring countries and contributing to the peace and stability of the East Asian region is one of Japan's most important policy priorities.
I would also like to point out the following factual errors and misleading expressions in your Editorial: 1. It stated that "Yasukuni Shrine. . .contains the graves of 14 convicted Class 'A' war criminals". In fact, there exist no such graves or monuments for the 14 war criminals in the shrine.
2. Your Editorial stated that Mr Koizumi "is likely to go there again next August on the much more auspicious occasion of the 60th anniversary of the end of the Pacific War." As is clear from the above, the fact is that Mr Koizumi did not go to the shrine on the 60th anniversary of the end of the war, which happened to be August of this year not next year, and rather he issued the statement reiterating the remorse and apology for the Japanese deeds in the war.
3. Your Editorial stated that a court ruling in Osaka on his visits to Yasukuni Shrine reflects divisions in the country about "rearmament and alliances". Apart from the fact that the court ruling was in the second incident and not final, may I point out that Japan's defence is dependent on the combination of its own limited capability and on the Japan-US security arrangements, not massive rearmament or plural alliances? At any rate, as one can easily see from any public opinion surveys in the past decade or so, this defence policy enjoys the overwhelming support of the Japanese people.
4. Your Editorial stated that "Mr Koizumi authorised a Japanese decision to start gas drilling in the East China Sea last April, a few days after violent protests were held in China" over Japanese school textbooks. The first fact is that the authorisation was not about the drilling but only about the application for lot allocation for exploration (as opposed to extraction). The second fact is that this decision had nothing to do with the Chinese violence, although tolerating such violence against diplomatic missions was utterly impermissible under international law.
5. Your Editorial referred to "a new batch of Japanese school textbooks denying or glossing over imperial atrocities", suggesting that there are a number of such improper textbooks. In fact, all of the officially approved textbooks currently being used in Japanese high schools or junior high schools cover Japan's role in the war, including war crimes and atrocities committed by the Japanese military. - Yours, etc,
KEIICHI HAYASHI, Ambassador of Japan, Dublin 4.