Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has repeatedly said he will go to Yasukuni Shrine to worship on Aug. 15. He will be going, he says, to pay his respects to the spirits of those who have given their lives for their country. Present-day Japan exists thanks to the sacrifices of these people, Koizumi says, so it is natural for him, as a Japanese, to go and console their souls. I agree entirely with the prime minister's sentiments.
At present, the spirits of 2,466,344 people are enshrined at Yasukuni. They include martyrs of the Meiji Restoration and victims of the Satsuma Rebellion, the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, World War I, the Manchurian Incident, the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-45 and the Pacific War. Soldiers, civilians employed by the military and others who lost their lives in the course of their official duties are enshrined there.
There are also around 57,000 women and children enshrined at Yasukuni, including the members of the Himeyuri Butai (Star Lily Corps) of Okinawa, so-called comfort women, elementary and junior high-school children and even a little girl under 2 years of age.