I am not going to say anything about this topic after this
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Originally Posted by Ithekro
They can feel insulted all they like. That is there right. But denying people the right to honor their own dead because of a minority is wrong. It be like forcing the President of the United States from going to a National Cemetery because there are a few Native Americans buried their that were drafted into the army and fought and died for a country that was oppressing their peoples. (oddly I can see that having happened even without looking at the rosters). Or the African soldiers that fought for the Confederacy. Their service is honored regardless of the fact their people were slaves. Or any number of peoples that have been drafted in times of war.
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When politicians do it, no. If they were to visit individually as a citizen of Japan instead of politicians I would have no problem. But when politicians group up or a prime minister go, then that is a different story.
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Originally Posted by Ithekro
I don't know how it works presently in Asia, but the old rules here were, "Majority rules, Minority rights". The minority of the dead and their families have the right to protest, but since they are not the majority of interned souls, they do not have the right to stop the majority from honoring their dead. This isn't a "get over it" sort of thing. This is a "tough, this is our country" sort of thing. That will seem nationalistic, but well, tough, it is. And frankly when it comes to the dead, I see no problem with it. They did serve the Emperor and died for the Emperor by Japanese tradition, and should be honored as such. Their own families can honor or dishonor them individually in their own ways.
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The problem is not individual's honoring their dead, the problem is politicians going to there. Lets be honest, these politicians are not going there just to honor the dead, there is problematic message behind their visit. And like I said before ,not all of the enshrined are Japanese and I am pretty sure non-Japanese weren't exactly fond of the emperor as well. To many of these politicians, like the idiot Ishihara, the shrine still has tie to their "glorious" past.
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Originally Posted by Ithekro
If you want symbolism, note that the Emperor himself would not go there after the A-listers souls were added. But he knew those men. He knew what they did. Of anyone in Japan, he, as Emperor, would have the say if they will be honored for service to him. The priests dishonor the Emperor, and they have to live with their shame. But that does not shame the rest of the souls their.
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Whether or not the emperor went does not matter. The point is the meaning behind the pm's visit.
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Originally Posted by Ithekro
If the A-Listers were alive and being honored...then there would be a problem. But if they were alive, they could be honored alone, and not just mixed in randomly with tens of thousands of other dead people.
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They shouldn't be honored at all.