Yasukuni's shadow on summit

靖国問題が日中関係に投げる影

The two nations supposedly put their unfortunate past behind them more than three decades ago, in 1972, when they normalized relations. Yet their political ties remain fragile, in striking contrast to their robust economic relations.

The primary historical dispute centers on Mr. Koizumi's annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine, the Tokyo memorial to Japan's war dead that is regarded by many as a residual symbol of Japanese militarism before and during World War II. It was, inevitably, the main topic at the Nov. 21 meeting in Santiago, Chile, following the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. However, the one-hour session, the first since October 2003, produced no progress on the issue.

The leaders of Japan and China talked past each other. Mr. Hu said official visits to Yasukuni by Japanese leaders have created a "political obstacle" in Japan-China relations, and requested that Mr. Koizumi stop visiting the shrine. Mr. Koizumi said his visits are intended to "express sympathy" for the nation's war dead and renew its "no-war pledge."

In the past, Mr. Hu has taken a rather moderate stand on Yasukuni and other historical issues compared with his predecessor, Mr. Jiang Zemin. During an earlier meeting, for example, Mr. Hu made no direct mention of the shrine, giving only a veiled warning against wounding the feelings of people in Asian countries that had suffered from Japan's military campaigns.

Presumably, persistent anti-Japanese domestic sentiment is driving Mr. Hu to get tough toward Japan. His hard-line statement this time — an explicit request that Mr. Koizumi stop paying homage to Yasukuni — underlines a measure of assertiveness in Chinese foreign policy. If the dispute is allowed to fester, the political relations between the two nations will remain chilly or, worse, become more unsettling.

But finding a mutually acceptable solution will not be easy. Since taking office in April 2001, Mr. Koizumi has visited Yasukuni once a year. He has effectively approved of the enshrining of convicted World War II Class-A war criminals, saying he has "no feeling of resistance" to offering prayers before them. He appears determined to visit the shrine next year. There is a body of opinion here, in the government and the governing Liberal-Democratic Party, that repeated Chinese criticisms of Mr. Koizumi's Yasukuni visits constitute "interference in Japan's domestic affairs."

Japan has made attempts to resolve the issue. A government-appointed panel has proposed the construction of a non-religious national memorial for the war dead and the separate enshrining of Class-A war criminals. But because these proposals lack the solid backing of public opinion, they remain on the drawing board.

The fact remains that Yasukuni Shrine not only carries heavy historical baggage as the moral backbone of Japanese imperialism but enshrines wartime leaders convicted by an international war-crimes tribunal. Consequently, despite their public expressions of remorse over the nation's militaristic past, criticism is bound to arise whenever Japanese leaders visit the shrine in an official capacity.

The Yasukuni issue is an albatross around the neck of Japan's Asia diplomacy. It must be removed one way or another to establish future-oriented relations with our Asian neighbors, particularly China. Given China's close ties to North Korea, good relations between Tokyo and Beijing are essential to the security in Northeast Asia, particularly in regard to resolving the nuclear standoff with Pyongyang.

The Koizumi-Hu meeting was not a flop, however. Perhaps constructive dialogue can begin when the two sides state clearly what they have to say. In this sense, it is encouraging that the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of developing bilateral relations in a forward-looking manner. The window of cooperation remains open.

The Japan Times Weekly
Dec. 4, 2004
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      両国は、1972年の国交正常化時に歴史認識問題を解決したことになっているが、発展を続ける経済関係に比べ、外交関係は不安定なままである。

      両国の摩擦は、小泉首相の例年の靖国神社参拝に原因がある。チリ・サンティアゴのAPEC首脳会談に並行して行なわれた日中首脳会談では、靖国問題についての進展はなかった。

      胡主席は小泉首相に対し、靖国参拝をとりやめるよう求めたが、首相は戦死者を追悼し、不戦の誓いを新たにするため参拝を行なっていると答えた。

      穏健派とされる胡主席が小泉首相に強硬な要求をしたのは、中国国内の強い反日感情を反映していると思われる。

      問題を解決するのは容易ではない。01年の小泉政権発足以来、首相は毎年靖国神社を参拝してきた。来年も参拝を続ける意向と見られる。政府・与党内には、中国の靖国参拝批判は「内政干渉」という意見もある。

      政府の諮問機関は、靖国神社の代替施設としての非宗教的な戦没者慰霊施設の建設とA級戦犯の分祀を答申したが、世論の支持が得られず、計画は進捗していない。

      靖国神社は日本帝国主義の象徴であり、戦没者とA級戦犯を合祀している。日本の指導者が同神社に公式参拝すれば、批判は避けられない。

      靖国問題は日本外交の制約要因になっている。アジアの近隣諸国（特に中国）との関係を築くために問題は解決されねばならない。北朝鮮の核開発問題解決のためにも良好な日中関係は必要だ。

      日中首脳会談は失敗に終わったわけではない。両国が立場を明確にすれば、建設的対話のきっかけになる。両首脳が2国間関係を前向きに発展させることの重要性について合意したことは希望が持てることだ。協力の機会は開かれている。