Poll: Japan Yasukuni Opposition at 50%

About the half of Japanese people are opposed to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on August 15, the anniversary of the end of World War II, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun. In the meantime, Koizumi has been saying day after day that he is ready to make another visit to Yasukuni Shrine on the anniversary.

A recent poll conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun on both Sunday and Monday found that half of those polled oppose Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi`s visiting Tokyo`s Yasukuni Shrine on the day, while 43 percent support his visit.

Koizumi publicly pledged he would visit the shrine each year on August 15 during his campaign for the 2001 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election. Although Koizumi has tried to lived up to his word and never missed a chance to pay a visit to Yasukuni Shrine each year, he hasn’t made his pilgrimage to the shrine this month yet on fears that it may trigger a great political stir and criticism not only from Korea and China but also from Japan as well.

Following his first visit to the shrine on the August 13 after his inauguration, Koizumi went to the shrine in April 2002, April 2003, October 2003, January 2004 and in October 2005. Whether or not Koizumi, whose term ends this year, pays a visit to the war shrine is now drawing a great interest from Korea and the international community.

His appearance yesterday at the 61st anniversary of the atomic bomb attack in Nagasaki evidently suggested his intention to visit the shrine on August 15. “The pledge is still alive and it must be kept,” he answered questions from reporters on the previous day.

Experts believe Koizumi’s such remarks are intended to generate an atmosphere for him to visit the shrine on August 15. Koizumi is likely to push the pilgrimage since it is his last chance to keep the public pledge.

Meanwhile, the poll conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun showed that half of those polled oppose Koizumi`s successor visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, while 40 percent support such a visit.

sya@donga.com