Japan to Revise Constitution to Justify Prime Minister’s War Criminal–commemorating Shrine Visits

Easing Law on Separation of State and Religion –

Japan’s Mainichi Daily News reported Monday that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan’s New Constitution Foundation Committee plans to ease the law regarding the separation of state and religion. By doing so, religious practices of the nation and local governments that fall into the range of social rituals or customary activities will be acceptable.

According to the paper, the LDP intends to secure constitutional support for a prime minister’s visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, where war criminals are commemorated, by interpreting a politician’s official shrine visits as a “tradition.”

Japan’s separation of state and religion was enacted as regret over the past movements to regard Shinto as a national religion, with the Japanese king at the center of worship. Therefore, the LDP’s decision to ease the state-religion separation is likely to give rise to a series of criticism from neighboring countries such as China and the opposition parties, the Mainichi Daily News reported.

Last April, the Fukuoka District Court ruled Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visits to the Yasukuni Shrine unconstitutional on the grounds that the visits were official activities.

Hun-Joo Cho hanscho@donga.com