This article explores the issue of reviving the Yasukuni Shrine as a state-operated place of mandatory worship and how Japanese Christians have responded to this ongoing problem. After the visit of Abe Shinzō to worship there in an official capacity on December 26, 2013, citizen groups in Osaka and Tokyo brought appeals against the premier before the corresponding district courts. Prior to that, the official worship of Koizumi Jun’ichirō in 2001–2006 had likewise earned criticism and led to protest demonstrations. After citizen groups in Fukuoka, Matsuyama, and Osaka sued the prime minister in their district courts, similar groups in Tokyo and Chiba appealed to their respective district courts as well. Neighboring countries, particularly China and South Korea, also protested the premier’s visit. John Breen has rightly noted that the issue is “a problem of daunting complexity.” As we will show, it involves several interconnected aspects, including the constitution, historical perception, war criminals, commemoration, and war responsibility.
YASUKUNI SHRINE, JAPANESE CHRISTIAN RESPONSES, AND A KUYPERIAN ECCLESIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
by SURYA HAREFA in Vol. 7 No. 1 / Apr 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35285/ucc7.1.2021.art6
Keywords
Yasukuni Shrine, Japanese Christians, Abraham Kuyper, Church And State, Ecclesiology
Yasukuni Shrine, Japanese Christians, Abraham Kuyper, Church And State, Ecclesiology
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