Yasukuni the War Dead and the Struggle for Japan's Past

edited by John Breen

First authoritative volume in English on Yasukuni, the controversial Shinto shrine in the heart of Tokyo dedicated to the Japanese war dead
Analyzes the importance of this most potent symbol of Japanese politics

Yasukuni the War Dead and the Struggle for Japan's Past

edited by John Breen

Description

This book is the first authoritative volume in English on Yasukuni, the controversial Shinto shrine in the heart of Tokyo, dedicated to the Japanese war dead. Twelve convicted and two suspected Class A war criminals are enshrined at Yasukuni, while the shrine's museum narrates an account of Japan's actions in the Second World War that is best described as revisionist. Visits to the shrine by cabinet members often set off protests at home and abroad, especially in China, Korea and Taiwan, and Yasukuni remains a source of considerable mistrust between the Chinese and Japanese governments. Despite the controversy, the former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made annual visits from 2001-6. The distinctive feature of this volume is that it sets out neither to commend Yasukuni nor to condemn it; it seeks, rather, to present authoritative yet divergent views, thereby allowing the contributors to render more complex an issue which, in the media at least, has long been portrayed in starkly simplistic terms. It accommodates chapters by leading pro-Yasukuni and anti-Yasukuni Japanese intellectuals; it carries multiple Chinese perspectives; and there are also contributions from Western commmentators who offer their own insights on the shrine and its place in post war Japanese diplomacy, ideology and history.

Yasukuni the War Dead and the Struggle for Japan's Past

edited by John Breen

Preface
Introduction
Yasukuni -- A Genealogy, John Breen
1 The Yasukuni Shrine Problem in Sino-Japanese Relations: Facing a Stalemate, Caroline Rose
2 Religious Perspective on the Yasukuni Shrine Controversy, Kevin Doak
3 Unlocking the Secrets of Yasukuni: a Chinese Perspective, Wang Zhixin,
Plumbing the Depths: the Yasukuni Controversy in China, Seki Hei
5 The Showa Emperor and the Yasukuni Shrine, Takahashi Tetsuya
6 And Why Shouldn't the Prime Minister Worship at Yasukuni?, Nitta Hitoshi
7 Yasukuni and the Loss of Historical Memory, John Breen
8 Pledge Fulfilled: the Japanese Media and Prime Minister Koizumi's Yasukuni Worship, 2001-6, Phillip Seaton Index

Yasukuni the War Dead and the Struggle for Japan's Past

edited by John Breen

Author Information

John Breen is Senior Lecturer in Japanese at SOAS, University of London. He has published widely in English and Japanese on issues of state and religion in modern Japan. He is the co-author of Shinto: a Short History (Blackwell, forthcoming).

Yasukuni the War Dead and the Struggle for Japan's Past

edited by John Breen

Reviews and Awards

"One of the key Sino-Japanese points of friction is the relatively obscure Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. In this impressive English language work John Breen brings together eight scholars who represent a diverse array of perspectives spanning the entire spectrum of thought on the Shinto shrine. The conflicting Chinese, Japanese and foreign opinions found in this volume, illuminate the radically differing standpoints and national narratives surrounding the shrine. They also demonstrate the daunting challenge the two countries face in their efforts to resolve this highly emotive and contentious issue."--Japan Society Newsletter

"By bringing together a wide range of perspectives and casting Yasukuni in multiple historical, ideological, political and religious frameworks that cut across Japanese, Chinese and international perspectives, this volume contributes much that is fresh and provocative."--Mark Selden, Japan Focus

"A must-read for all who are concerned about the future of pacifism in Japan."--Journal of Japanese Studies