OSAKA -- Every Aug. 15, all manner of people gather at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine. But often lost among the parade of rightwing loudspeaker trucks, leftwing protesters and formally attired senior political figures swarmed by the press are the veterans themselves.
They begin gathering under the trees approaching the shrine in the early morning in the leadup to paying their respects to the war dead. Some wear their old uniforms. They bring a lot of sake and beer, and it isn't long before some are drunk.
Other veterans, as well as friends and relatives, are close by, wearing headbands and carrying banners that read "Eirei ni kotaeru kai" (Group that honors the war dead) and chatting amiably with passersby.