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Yasukuni Shrine

Yasukuni Shrine, located in Tokyo, Japan, is dedicated to over 2,466,000 Japanese soldiers and servicemen who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan in the last 150 years. It also houses one of the few Japanese war museums dedicated to World War II.The shrine is at the center of an international controversy by honoring war criminals convicted by a post World War II court including 14 'Class A' war criminals. Japanese politicians, including prime ministers and cabinet members have paid visits to Yasukuni Shrine in recent years which caused criticism and protests from China, Korea, and Taiwan.

last updated:

9 September, 2024

Yasukuni Shrine

Chinese national gets 8 months in prison for Yasukuni Shrine graffiti case

Jiang Zhuojun and two others are accused of vandalising a pillar at the controversial landmark by spray-painting the word ‘toilet’ on it.

Chinese man says he defaced Japan shrine to protest Fukushima discharge

South Korea’s anger over Sado mine event clouds efforts to deepen security ties

Japan holds Sado mines memorial despite South Korean boycott

The mines were listed as a World Heritage site in July after Japan and South Korea agreed to put aside some of their differences.

South Korea spurns Sado mines memorial amid lingering historical tensions

South Korea’s President Yoon had made improving relations with Japan a priority following years of disputes of the two countries’ history.

Japan’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine vandalised with kanji for ‘death’

It follows similar defacement incidents in June and August.

Japan’s new PM Ishiba sends offering to Yasukuni war shrine

The Yasukuni shrine is seen as a symbol of Japan’s wartime militarism by China and South Korea.

My Take | Japan’s Ishiba to focus on security ties with South Korea to counter Pyongyang

Shigeru Ishiba’s ‘progressive’ views on thorny historical issues have raised hopes that ties between Japan and South Korea could improve.

NHK under fire after ‘broadcast hijacking’ by Chinese reporter over Diaoyu Islands

A Chinese journalist working for NHK sparked controversy by claiming disputed islands in the East China Sea belong to China during a broadcast.

‘Treasonous’: Japan NHK’s reporter says Diaoyu Islands belong to China

Critics accuse the broadcaster of undermining Japan’s territorial integrity and demanded accountability from its leadership.

South Korea’s president shocks public after ‘outrageous’ Liberation Day speech

President Yoon Suk-yeol shocked South Koreans by omitting mention of Japan’s wartime atrocities from his Liberation Day speech.

Japan’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine vandalised again with graffiti

Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, seen as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism, reported a second case of graffiti in three months.

Who will replace Fumio Kishida as Japan’s PM? Take a look at the contenders

The current foreign minister says she’s in the running. A former heavy metal drummer and the son of an ex-PM are also in with a shot.

Japan’s ministers visit Yasukuni shrine on World War II anniversary

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who plans to step down in September, stayed away, sending an offering instead. No serving Japanese prime minister has visited Yasukuni since Shinzo Abe in 2013.

Chinese man in Japan arrested over Yasukuni Shrine graffiti incident

Jiang Zhuojun, 29, was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly conspiring with two others to spray-paint the word “toilet” in English on a stone pillar at the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.

Chinese man spray-paints word ‘toilet’ and urinates on Tokyo shrine

US$64,000 bounty offer for suspected Chinese graffiti vandal at Japan shrine

The video showing a Chinese man urinating and spray-painting ‘toilet’ on a shrine to Japan’s war dead so incensed a cosmetic surgeon that he’s offered a 10-million-yen reward for help bringing the suspect to justice.

Japan police hunt man who spray painted ‘toilet’ on Yasukuni Shrine

In a video on Chinese social media, a man identifying himself as Iron Head said he would give the Japanese government ‘some colour to see’, before urinating on a stone pillar and spray-painting ‘toilet’ in English.

‘Smart move’: why the rest of Asia could find a new security partner in Japan

Japan’s growing role as a security provider in Asia is necessary, with the US preoccupied with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, analysts say.

Ex-commander picked as Yasukuni Shrine chief priest in move likely to irk China

Umio Otsuka’s appointment marks the first time since 1978 for a former military official to assume the post.

As North Korea slams Japan troops’ shrine trip, Seoul and China stay silent

Pyongyang accused Tokyo of trying to revive its dream to ‘reinvade the Korean peninsula’ after SDF members visited the controversial temple.

Opinion | 86 years after rape of Nanking, China should forge closer ties with Japan

Amicable relations and reduced tensions are good for both countries, Asia and the world. Critically, if China and Japan remain hostile, it will play into the hands of the US.

Why is Japan’s Yasukuni Shrine so controversial?

Opinion | Fears over China, doubts about US driving Japan’s military build-up

Kishida sends offering to war-linked shrine, risking anger from Beijing, Seoul

Past visits to controversial Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese prime ministers have drawn harsh criticism from China and South Korea, who view it as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism.

Opinion | With China-Japan relations at a low, it is clear which side is to blame

Japan and China have arrived at the 50th anniversary of the normalisation of bilateral ties, but relations are strained. Given Japan’s stance on cross-strait issues and the Diaoyu Islands, and its long-standing failure to apologise for the Nanking massacre, it isn’t difficult to understand why.

As I see it | Kimono row pulls at the thread of strained China-Japan relationship

Anti-Japanese sentiment in China, previously targeted towards wartime atrocities and historical issues, has recently been aimed at Japanese cultural symbols – from kimonos to Japanese lettering.

South Korea, Japan must confront ‘common threats’ together: Yoon Suk-yeol

The South Korean president called for ties to ‘swiftly and properly improve’ as the ‘mission of our times align’. It came as Fumio Kishida sent an offering to a controversial shrine – and pledged that Japan would never again wage war.