Summer for many Japanese is a time that conjures up bitter memories of the nation's Aug. 15, 1945, defeat in the war -- a conflict that claimed millions of lives and left a number of cities devastated.
But 58 years later, a national cemetery in central Tokyo holding the unidentified remains of as many as 350,000 Japanese war dead has yet to receive the respect it deserves.
The government is reluctant to arrange for foreign dignitaries to visit Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery, and no official rites are held there on the surrender anniversary. Instead, dozens of lawmakers, including Cabinet members, pay contentious visits to nearby Yasukuni Shrine, which honors the nation's war dead, as well as convicted war criminals.