Every Aug. 15 at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, Japanese rightists mark the end of World War II in much the same way: Crowds of men in military garb wave the Hinomaru flag as megaphones atop black trucks blare military marches.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2006/nn20060816a4a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='333'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B> Rightists shout 'Banzai' in honor of the war dead Tuesday at Yasukuni Shrine. </B> ERIC PRIDEAUX PHOTO</FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>This year, though, rightists are grappling with bewildering developments that raise new questions about Yasukuni's role as spiritual resting place for Japan's war dead.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>For one, according to a surprising report weeks ago by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Emperor Hirohito, known posthumously as Showa, had secretly opposed the enshrinement of 14 Class-A war criminals and thus halted his own visits to the shrine.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Also, other reports now say wartime Prime Minister Gen. Hideki Tojo -- who is enshrined at Yasukuni -- believed only those who had died in battle should be honored there. He thus would not be among them.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>None of this fazes rightwing activist Shinichi Kamijo, a sturdily built home renovator who donned a uniform and came to the shrine Tuesday to 'patrol the environs outside Yasukuni for leftwingers.'</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>One of hundreds of rightists who thronged Yasukuni amid shouts of 'Long live the Emperor!' and renditions of 'Kimigayo,' the national anthem, Kamijo describes himself a rightist more concerned with the welfare of the Japanese people than with their monarch.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>'I don't want to hear about the Emperor saying he's uncomfortable with the enshrinement of people whom the United States happened to judge –

war criminals," Kamijo said. "If the Emperor really said things like that, I don't want to worship him."

Kamijo, with a Hinomaru and the name of his rightwing group, Gishin Gokoku-kai, emblazoned on his crisp blue uniform, was not much impressed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Yasukuni visit earlier in the day. It marked the first time Koizumi has visited on the Aug. 15 anniversary itself.

"It's the obvious thing to do," he said. "People who died for Japan are enshrined here, right? So it's natural for the Japanese leader to pay his respects."

Does the outrage of other parts of Asia count?