Not glorifying WWII soldiers? Um, you do know about Yasakuni shrine, right? As for the ADIZ, well if Japan had used international legal channels instead of just buying the disputed islands from their “rightful” owner, this whole ADIZ nonsense might not have happened in the first place. China isn’t the only one escalating the issue. Japan could be responding to things more intelligently than just – “Oh yeah China? I see your bluff and raise you another.”

The problem is, the way the ‘masses’ view Yasukuni is really the only thing that is important here. Now both China and South Korea reproach Japan when government officials go there and everyone in Japan is aware of this. So the question is – despite the memorial part which could be done another way – if it’s so politically damaging and does nothing but incite hatred, why do Japanese politicians visit the place unless they either: a) deliberately want to stir up trouble or, b) care nothing for the opinions of their neighbors. Either way, I really don’t see a way Japan can justify the shrine…. especially considering Shinto religion is nothing more than an empty, mindless ceremony now because there are definitely no gods there.
As for the island purchase – well, now that he has the islands, how about Abe does the right thing, admit the islands are in dispute, and take the issue to the United Nations for a final decision? I don’t see how what he is doing now is de-escalating tensions at all. Also, for all we know the whole Shintaro purchase plan could have just been a ruse started by Abe himself – eg. make it look like they have to buy it or otherwise Shintaro will. It’s all smoke and mirrors my friend. Japan is doing nothing to genuinely de-escalate tensions in the region at all.

I do not clearly understand why people from the Allied countries are allowed to visit memorials that remembers the war dead but those from the Axis are refrained from doing so.

Yasukuni is a memorial, it does not honour or extol war crimes or war itself, what is so wrong with remembering your countrymen who had paid for the war with their lives? is it simply because they lost the war?

Inciting hatred is debatable, if countries stop misrepresenting Yasukuni then there wouldn’t be said “hatred”

China and South Korea could also

a) Understand the rationale of the visits and not hype the visits as honouring war criminals when it certainly isn’t.

b) Care nothing about Japan’s opinions, the Japanese diplomat’s rationale for the visits despite them repeatedly clarifying that it is only a memorial to remember the suffering brought by the war and instead push their own rhetoric as a means to further their nationalistic sentiments. Are the Japanese opinion, way of life and rights any less important than those of Chinese and South Koreans?

should Japan continue to be submissive to China and South Korea simply because of purported war crimes during a war 77 years ago?

Shinto religion goes further than your understanding leads you to and I’m not about to start educating others on what Shinto religion is and isn’t.

Japan certainly is willing to take the dispute to the UN, China is the one who repeatedly refuses any international arbitration, citing that they have an undisputed right to the island and that there are no dispute because those territory are inherently Chinese.

How is that for de-escalation of tensions?

How is the purchase smoke and mirrors? simply because it doesn’t fit into what you prefer to believe? or do you actually have concrete evidence that the purchase is a well-orchestrated attempt to create tension with China?

Have you EVER read the Kojiki, Nihon Shoki or such? I am sure you have not. It is utter folly to dismiss 神道 (Shinto) as not educational without reading these historical Japanese books and studying Japanese history. Also, do you have ANYTHING to back up your claim, “Every Shinto and Buddhist outfit in Japan is just a tax-payer funded boondoggle for the people who run them”? China and South Korea might have a reason to be angry over Japanese politicians’ visits to Yasukuni Shrine, but they had NEVER complained about it until the Asahi Shinbun, the largest Japanese leftist newspaper, criticized it a few decades ago. They simply followed the criticism, and now it is a useful diplomatic tool for them against Japan. Regarding the Senkaku Islands, why would Japan have to “admit” the islands are in dispute, when China had NEVER objected to the San Francisco Peace Treaty? You do know that China had kept silent on the islands until natural resources such as oil fields were found around them, do you not? China has no right to own the islands, and thus, there is no dispute over them.

You are one of the most delusional people I have ever seen. Are you seriously telling me that Japanese people who visit Ise Grand Shrine, Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine, Hakone Shrine, Miwa Shrine, Senso-ji, or other shrines or temples fear looking not Japanese? What kind of joke is that? Granted some religious organizations, such as Soka Gakkai, might be receiving money from Japanese politicians (though I see it the other way around), but it is utter folly to say Shintoism is just ceremonial nonsense. It is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, and a lot of Japanese people still believe in gods and visit shrines and temples. Stop talking nonsense. Regarding the pressure of the criticism of Yasukuni visits, the Japanese government does not think it is working very well as it has been going on for a few decades and other countries in East Asia have never followed these two countries and strongly objected to the visits. That being said, there may be something more the Japanese government can do. In regard to the peace treaty, it gave the Senkaku Islands to China? What? Are you serious? Where in the treaty does it say that? I have discussed this territorial issue with a lot of Chinese people but never seen anyone saying that. You do know that Japanese fishermen lived on the islands before WWII, but China had never objected to it, do you not? They did not care about the islands, but as soon as natural resources were found around them, they suddenly started claiming sovereignty over them. This fact says it all.

Japanese shrines and temples, especially the ones I have mentioned above, have a lot of local people who believe in gods and repeatedly visit them. You obviously don’t know what the Japanese are like. I won’t deny that some don’t believe in gods or have much faith in them, but still, it is utterly wrong to say Shintoism is just ceremonial nonsense. This is an insult to tens of millions of Japanese people who believe in gods. Also, what do you mean by “otaku”? I don’t quite understand how otaku are relevant to shrines and temples. Regarding religious organizations being subsidized by government money, what religious organizations are you talking about, and do you have any evidence to prove it? In regard to Shintoism disappearing during the Edo era, I wouldn’t think it was “disappearing”. It simply absorbed Buddhism elements into it. Also, it is true that the Meiji government established State Shinto in order to increase the national strength, but you could say Shintoism is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, considering a lot of Japanese people are still animists and that traditional festivals and rituals that started long before the Meiji era are still going on. Even magazines for young girls cover shrines and temples, saying something like, “If you’re having a hard time getting a boyfriend, this shrine is for you.” As for Japanese war records indicating the islands belong to Taiwan, what Japanese war records are you talking about? Well, I know there are a lot of Chinese claims about the islands, but none of them are convincing, and most have already been disproven. And yes, Japan was ordered to renounce all the islands they had grabbed from other countries by force, and this is another proof that the Senkaku Islands belong to Japan, because the Allies would have protested against Japan if they had considered the islands as part of China or Taiwan, but they did not, and neither did these two countries. The fact that neither China nor Taiwan had ever claimed sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands until natural resources were discovered around them in 1971, explains everything.

Sad, lunatic fringe? So the locals who habitually visit shrines and temples are not normal people? How prejudiced can you be? I don’t know if you’re an atheist or not, but to me, you seem to hate to admit that there are numerous Shintoists among normal people. Or do you just like looking down upon and insulting them? And what in the world is “real” religion? Religion comes in different forms. Even if one doesn’t know of the gods who appear in the Kojiki or the Nihon Shoki, he could be seen as a Shintoist if he respects nature as well as Japanese culture and values the idea that gods inhabit shrines, temples, trees, rocks, rivers, and other natural objects. And oh, not only have you extensively studied Asian religions, but you also lived in Japan for many years? That’s great. I’m sure you have no problem with the Japanese language then. Let me explain a little bit more in Japanese. 神道とはキリスト教や他の宗教の様に経典がなく、日本文化や生活様式に溶け込んだ古来より続く観念や仕来りだ。あなたは神社やお寺に参拝する日本人は形の上だけで行っていると指摘するが、実際は神々を信仰している者は多く、あまりにも文化的、生活的な一部として溶け込んでいるため「宗教」をしているという感覚がなく、また自覚もない。前のコメントでも述べたが、若者達の間でも「スピリチュアルスポット」として人気を博している神社やお寺が多くあり、神々を信仰している者達が一様に変わった集団だと述べるあなたは無知、もしくは偏見に支配されているとしか言い様がない。Regarding the territorial issue, I understand your suggestion. However, the Japanese government probably doesn’t feel the need to request China to bring the issue to the ICJ, as it is clear now due to its aggression against Vietnam that China is an imperialistic nation that doesn’t observe international rules, and a great threat to East Asia. China’s credibility is now lower than ever.

You might have a point there. When Japanese people hear the word “宗教 (religion)”, they automatically think of dubious organizations, such as Soka Gakkai and Kofuku no Kagaku, which care about nothing but collecting money and increasing their influence in Japanese politics. The notorious religious organization “Aum Shirinkyo”, which released sarin gas on some trains, killing several people, is probably also the reason why some Japanese people frown upon the word. The funny thing is that when they are asked, “Do you believe in gods?”, some say yes, but when they are asked, “Are you religious?”, nearly no one does. I believe most Japanese people think that to be religious is to belong to a religious organization. In that sense, you could say that they have some kind of prejudice against religion. Many visit shrines and temples when they are in trouble or danger, when they want a boyfriend/girlfriend or a child, when they want to succeed in their business, or when they want to express their gratitude to gods, but they don’t consider that to be religious. Well, either way, it would be pointless in discussing the definition of religion as it differs from person to person, so I won’t talk about it anymore. Regarding my Japanese skills, thank you for the compliment. However, it is only natural that I speak Japanese fluently, because I’m Japanese. ;)

Imperial Ming annals list the islands as not China’s territory so its really not a historical and inherent part of China.

For starters, if you’re trying to downplay your own immense ignorance of a subject, do try not to contradict yourself right after, its just not very…. smart.

We now known of your clear and obvious Pro-PRC political agenda (from a different comment on this article) and there is little else to discuss further, take your Pro-PRC agenda somewhere else.