Former Prime Minister Nakasone Proposes Separation of A-class War Criminals from Yaskuni Shrine

Yasuhiro Nakasone, who formally worshiped in Yaskuni shrine for the first time as Prime Minister, proposed on February 15 to separate A-class war criminals in World War II from Yaskuni shrine in order to avoid controversy.

Nakasone, who made an appearance on TV Asahi, said, “It is not unreasonable to build a separate shrine for A-class war criminals to resume Japan-China summit diplomacy which was stopped due to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s worship at Yaskuni shrine.”

Nakasone, who formally worshipped at Yaskuni shrine for the first time as a prime minister on August 15, 1985, gave up his visit in the following year due to the oppositions of Korea and China.

“During my service as a prime minister, I conveyed my intension to separate A-class war criminals to the surviving family and the shrine because of the opposition of Korea and China, but I confronted the opposition,” said Nakasone, stressing the possibility of building a separate shrine by adding, “but the families who opposed it at that time seem to have recently turned towards approval.”

趙憲注 hanscho@donga.com