Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- [Like a vampire in an unimaginative B movie, the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis, thought to be long dead, is back from the crypt. German, Italian and Japanese military forces are deployed abroad - in Southeast Europe and Southeast Asia - for the first time since the end of World War II; the U.S.-dictated post WWII Japanese constitution (see Article 8), which expressly prohibits the remilitarization of Japan, is now being brushed aside - on U.S. directives - and Tokyo is both rearming and preparing itself as a regional military power once again, as is Germany. And a necessary correlate of this undoing of the results of the Second World War is a resurgence of revisionist - and celebratory - interpretations of the history of European fascism and Japanese imperial militarism: In Japan, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Croatia and elsewhere. Everyone knows Santayana's warning; no need to repeat it.] Monday August 13 6:44 AM ET Japan PM Visits War Dead Shrine Amid Controversy By Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid homage on Monday at a shrine for Japan's war dead that also honors war criminals in a move that angered Asian neighbors and upset many on both sides of the debate at home. After days of dithering, Koizumi finally decided against making a promised visit to the Shinto religion's Yasukuni Shrine on August 15, a day that resonates with symbolism around Asia as the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two. A solemn Koizumi, dressed in a morning suit and accompanied by aides, entered the shrine and bowed once at the inner sanctum while a crowd of thousands was restrained outside the gate by police. Among them were not only protesters and supporters, but also the popular Koizumi's usual gathering of adoring fans. ``We should not engage in such a war ever again,创 Koizumi said after the visit. ``I paid the visit to renew my pledge for peace.创 No Japanese prime minister has made an official visit to Yasukuni since Yasuhiro Nakasone did so in 1985, and Koizumi did not make clear whether his homage was official. His attempted compromise, however, immediately sparked criticism at home and in Asia. Beijing repeated that it was ``opposed to Japanese leaders paying their respects and worshipping at the Yasukuni Shrine to class-A war criminals.创 In Seoul, the government voiced ``deep regret创 and 20 South Korean gangsters cut off their fingers in a grisly protest. Koizumi first pledged to make a visit during an April campaign to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a move many say was aimed at winning support from a powerful group of war veterans and politicians who feel the war should be laid to rest now that more than 50 years have passed. The issue divided public opinion, upset a Buddhist-backed coalition partner and outraged China and the two Koreas, all victims of Japan's wartime aggression. Asked why he had changed his mind about visiting on August 15, Koizumi said: ``As August 15 drew closer, there were those at home and abroad who misunderstood my true intentions. ``I want from the bottom of my heart to maintain friendly ties with China, South Korea and other Asian nations. It became evident that a visit on the 15th would be interpreted in an opposite way and that is not what I desire.创 CRITICISM ALL ROUND Much of the outrage over Koizumi's visit stems from the fact that 14 leaders convicted as war criminals by an allied tribunal after Japan's defeat are enshrined along with Japan's nearly 2.5 million war dead killed in battle since the 19th century. In a statement issued just before the visit, Koizumi also sought to soothe the deep resentment much of Asia still feels toward Japan over the war more than 50 years after its end. ``Toward our Asian neighbors, at one point in the past, we conducted colonization and aggressive acts based on a mistaken national policy and caused immeasurable pain and suffering. ``I wish, in light of our country磗 regrettable history, to take this to heart, express my deepest regret and remorse toward all of the victims of war.创 Domestic critics, however, chimed in from both sides of the debate. ``Yasukuni Shrine...enshrines those who died in wars and justifies that action. Such visits should not be allowed,创 Communist Party leader Kazuo Shii told a news conference. Those in favor of a visit faulted him for breaking his promise to go on August 15. ``This gives the impression that he gave in to pressure. I think confidence in the prime minister has been damaged,创 said one conservative lawmaker after the decision was announced. It was hardly the sort of criticism the popular Koizumi wants to hear as he begins to pull together tough and painful economic reforms to fix the long-stagnant economy. SHOUTING PRO AND CON Nearly a dozen South Koreans protested outside Yasukuni, unswayed by his decision to alter the date from August 15, which is also South Korea's Liberation Day, marking the end of Japan's brutal 35-year occupation of the Korean Peninsula. ``It磗 an insult to Asian nations, which were victims of the Pacific War, and I view it as a revival of Japan磗 militarism,创 said 57-year-old Kim Tae Sun. About 15 radical left-wing students, some wearing masks over their faces, also screamed slogans opposing the visit. Others, however, praised the prime minister for fulfilling their hopes of homage, saying ``Thank you, thank you.创 Some shouted ``Banzai创 (Long Life) as he left the shrine. Koizumi declined to clarify whether the visit was official or private, saying merely he had paid homage as ``Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi创 and had used his own money to pay for a floral offering sent in his name to the shrine at the weekend. The prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa privately visited the shrine in 1992, media say, but no public announcement was made and in 1996 Ryutaro Hashimoto went on his birthday in a private capacity. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! 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