Posted on 11/19/2006 7:56:32 PM PST by davy
Japan's controversial Yasukuni shrine is to review a controversial display that says the US provoked Japan into entering WWII, Japanese media reports.
The US government complained about the exhibit, which claims that a US economic embargo forced Japan into war.
The Yasukuni shrine, seen by critics as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, has soured ties with its neighbours.
It is likely to overshadow a fence-mending visit to neighbours that New PM Shinzo Abe begins on Sunday.
He will visit China - the first Japanese premier to visit Beijing in five years - before moving on to South Korea.
China had refused to meet his predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, because of his annual visits to the shrine.
Mr Abe has not said if he plans to visit Yasukuni himself.
Japan denied reports out of China that he had promised not to visit the shrine "for the time being".
The Yushukan museum, based in the Shinto shrine, was changing or deleting the reference to the US at the request of US officials and others who had questioned its accuracy, Japan's Kyodo news agency said.
Reuters news agency quoted a statement from the shrine that said it was reviewing all the museum's exhibits - and would be seeking the opinions of experts - in line with the fifth anniversary of its renovation.
"In order to make the exhibits more substantial, we will also review the historical accounts," the statement said.
Controversy over Yasukuni centres on the fact that 14 Japanese war criminals are venerated at the shrine, alongside its war dead.
Welcome to Free Republic.
Or am I IBTZ
I suppose China provoked Japan into slaughtering untold numbers of Chinese as well.
Another conspiracy theorist, I see.
Isn't this the same shrine that glorifies the kamikaze forces?
Did he also claim that "Nanking shouldn't have dressed so provocatively"?
DUers are so freakin' boring.
Personal Responsibility is only for the strong.
For the weak we have BLAME.
The US had issues with Japan before WWII because Japan was slaughtering and enslaving large numbers of Koreans and Chinese. It is as simple as that.
By some accounts I've read, even the nazis were shocked at the behavior of the Japanese in China.
There is some truth to this. Marxist influence got FDR to do the very things that provoked Japan, giving Russia a break in WWII. According to one book, that was the plan of the Russians, to keep Japan from attacking Russia. It was also a Japanese Navy versus Japanese Army fight. One wanted to attack Russia. The other wanted to attack America.
Nevertheless, nothing FDR did justified the attack on Pearl Harbor. How much he knew in advance - that's another story.
Yes, FDR did provoke them, but only because of Japan's designs on East Asia.
Greater Ea and let Google fill in the blank for you. It has to do with hegemony — of the Japanese Empire. Next, look up "Rape of Nanking" for a hint as to the nature of that hegemony. Economic sanctions? No big deal...
We were surprised because we all , from FDR down, underestimated the Japs. They took a huge gable and almost swept the boards. If they had hit the storage tanks.....
We did cut off their oil supplies, but what were the Japanese doing in China? What was Italy doing in Africa before this, too?
or that Japan attacked a US Navy River Patrol boat in China in '38 giving us only a toothy smile, with a "Sooo Sorrrrey! Big Misstake!"
This is pretty funny. The last time I was at the Smithsonian I got the distinct impression that this was OUR government's position as well.
But then, they ALWAYS blame America first.
EXACTLY!
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