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About 5,200 relatives of those who died during World War II paid their respects Friday to more than 3.1 million Japanese war dead, including civilians, women and children, in the annual secular memorial ceremony sponsored by the government at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan, built within a park adjacent to the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo.
At noon, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, the heads of the three branches of government, ministers, parliamentarians and more than 1,000 leading figures from many sectors of society offered a minute of silent prayer, echoed by many compatriots across the country.
In his memorial address, Emperor Akihito, facing a five-meter-tall wooden memorial for the war dead, said, "Reflecting upon history, sincerely wishing there will be no replay of the misery of war, I pay sincere tribute to the memory of those who died in the war's front lines or under its scourge, and would like to pray for world peace and the progress of our nation."
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda also addressed the crowd. He acknowledged the damage and pain Japan inflicted on many countries, especially in Asia, during the war.
"Here I express, on behalf of the nation, deep remorse and humble condolences to all of the people who fell victim," he said. He urged the nation not to be entrapped by an inward-looking, national-interest orientation, saying, "We shall renew our commitment to no aggression, lead the international community as a peace-fostering nation, and work proactively toward establishing permanent peace."
As time has gone by, few parents of the dead remain to take part in this ceremony. Even spouses of the dead numbered less than 100. Many of those who came to pay their respects are the offspring of those killed in action thousands of miles from their homeland, of those who died at home under intense bomb attacks, or of those who perished in the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan.
Representing all the surviving relatives, Kiwako Matsunaga, 89, whose husband died in action on an island in Western New Guinea at the age of 32, read out her tearful tribute to the loyal soldiers, acknowledged the hardship their wives and children had to undergo, and ended her tribute with her wish that the ravages of war would never be repeated.
While the generation with vivid personal war recollections is passing away literally by the day, the war's legacy is still unsettling to their descendants.
Many of those who attended the ceremony also paid their respects at the Yasukuni Shrine, only five minutes’ walk from the Budokan. Earlier in the day three current Cabinet ministers, two former prime ministers – Junichiro Koizumi and Shinzo Abe – and 53 members of parliament across party lines paid their respects at the shrine.
Prime Minister Fukuda, as expected, did not go to the shrine, ostensibly in order not to antagonize China and South Korea.
For many bereaved families the Yasukuni Shrine holds special meaning; many Japanese soldiers headed off to war, and anticipating their own deaths, would promise to meet their loved ones again at the shrine, where those who died fighting for the nation were traditionally enshrined.
But at Friday's memorial, Yohei Kono, speaker of the House of Representatives, suggested that people pay respects at an alternative, non-religious memorial, given that Yasukuni Shrine is affected by "unsettled issues emanating from history in relation to our neighbors."
He was referring to the enshrinement there of 14 military and government leaders who were tried at the Tokyo International Tribunal and judged as class A war criminals for their "crimes against peace."
Some Asian countries, especially South Korea and China, have accused Japanese leaders who paid visits to the Yasukuni Shrine of honoring these men and their militarism.
Sharp differences over what actually happened during the war still exist, however, as is apparent in an annex to the shrine called the Yushukan. It portrays Japan’s military accomplishments, including victories in the Sino-Japan and Russo-Japan Wars.
A film about World War II shown in this hall, called "We shall remember," shows documentary footage of events leading up to war and eventual defeat. It justifies Japan’s attack on the United States as a response to economic sanctions including an oil embargo imposed in 1941 by the United States, which was Japan’s main oil supplier at the time.
The film also disputes the validity of the Tokyo International Tribunal that judged Japan’s leaders, calling it “victor’s justice.”
