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Sunday, June 10, 2007
Lee raps China, South Korea over Yasukuni
By REIJI YOSHIDA
Staff writer
Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui said Saturday in Tokyo that China and
South Korea have lashed out at Japanese leaders over Yasukuni Shrine mainly
because of their own domestic political problems, and Japan should not let
other countries intervene in honoring its war dead.
Lee, speaking in Japanese at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, also
criticized the media for playing up and politicizing his "private" visit to the
war-related shrine.
"Yasukuni issues have been made up just because China and Korea could not
handle their own domestic problems. And Japan has been too weak (in reacting to
the protests)," said the 84-year-old Lee, who led Taiwan from 1988 to 2000.
He did not elaborate on what domestic problems Beijing and Seoul are facing,
but critics say Japan-related issues are often used in China and South Korea as
a pretext to attack domestic political foes or as a means to distract public
attention from other issues.
Yasukuni Shrine honors and enshrines dead Japanese soldiers and officers,
serving as a spiritual pillar for veterans and relatives of the war dead. It is
also widely regarded as a symbol of Japan's wartime militarism as it enshrines
Class-A war criminals. Lee went to the shrine Thursday to pray for his deceased
older brother, who fought for Japan when Taiwan was under Japanese colonial
rule.
Saturday was the final day of his 11-day stay in Japan. He described the trip
as "successful," saying it was designed for cultural and academic exchanges as
well as retracing the footsteps of the noted 17th-century poet Matsuo Basho.
He added he wants to come back, saying this time he followed only half of the
itinerary of Basho's journey in the Tohoku region.
Another purpose was to gauge recent changes in traditions and behavior. Lee
said he found that the Japanese people have retained their strong spiritual
discipline to maintain order in society and praised the tradition of Japanese
culture.
"(Japanese people) provide the best public services and keep (everything) as
clean as possible. There even is no dirt on expressways," he said.
As Lee wrapped up his trip at Narita airport later Saturday, a man hurled two
plastic bottles containing liquid at him, but he was unhurt. The man,
identified as a Chinese engineer, 34, currently living in Chiba, was taken into
custody, police said.
Information from Kyodo added
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