Japan marks the 61st anniversary of the end of World War II even as its politicians send signals that lead other peoples in the world to question its true inclinations. One such signal was the prediction that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi would visit Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday, the very day of the anniversary.
Yasukuni honors not only Japan's 2.46 million war dead but also 14 Class-A war criminals. Mr. Koizumi, who has made five Yasukuni visits since he became prime minister in 2001, says the purpose of his visits is to renew a pledge of not leading the nation into another war. Another Yasukuni visit, however, will only deepen suspicions that Japan has not learned from its past mistakes, irrespective of Mr. Koizumi's personal intentions.
Another signal was the remarks made by several politicians -- after North Korea test-fired ballistic missiles July 5 -- that Japan should consider possessing the capability of carrying out a preemptive strike on an enemy missile base in order to protect Japan from imminent attack. This notion is not only a departure from Japan's postwar policy of not possessing offensive weapons, but it led some foreign media to speculate that Japan is considering arming itself with nuclear weapons.