Thousands flock to Japan's war shrine to mark 80 years since World War II | ABS-CBN News скачать в хорошем качестве

Thousands flock to Japan's war shrine to mark 80 years since World War II | ABS-CBN News

Thousands joined long queues at Japan’s controversial Yasukuni shrine on Friday (August 15) to pay their respects for the war dead commemorated within its walls, as Japan marked the 80th anniversary of its World War Two defeat. The anniversary was visited by at least one cabinet minister and other lawmakers. “I believe that the citizens of each country should honour the memory of those who died for their country... I do not think that this should be a matter of diplomatic relations," former Minister-in-charge of Economic Security Sanae Takaichi, who is seen as one of the candidates for Japan's next prime minister, spoke to reporters after her visit. Sohei Kamiya, who leads "Japanese First" far-right Sanseito party that won 14 seats in Japan's upper house election in July, was also among the lawmakers who visited the shrine on Friday. Among the 2.5 million war dead commemorated at the shrine are 14 wartime leaders convicted of the most serious war crimes, along with over 1,000 others found guilty by Allied tribunals after Japan's 1945 defeat. Japan’s East Asian neighbours view the shrine as a symbol of aggression. Among the thousands of shrine-goers braving Friday morning’s heat was 73-year-old Tokyo resident Masaki, whose grandfather and uncle died fighting in the war. “They died while fighting with all their might. And because of that, they are now protecting us, their descendants. It’s not just my grandfather and uncle, but many of Japan’s predecessors protected us. They preserved Japan for us, so the first and foremost thing for me to do is to visit and express my gratitude,” said Masaki, who would only give his surname. Shrine staff distributed a few dozen doves to visitors to release as part of a brief ceremony as a symbol of peace, a tradition they perform each year on the anniversary of Japan’s surrender to mark the occasion. A minute of silence was later observed at 12:00 p.m. (0300 GMT) to mark the exact time when Japan’s then-Emperor Hirohito gave a speech announcing Japan’s surrender to the public on August 15, 1945. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attended a separate war memorial event in Tokyo along with Emperor Naruhito, but sent an offering to the shrine, according to local media. No sitting Japanese prime minister has visited the Yasukuni Shrine since Shinzo Abe in December 2013, drawing an expression of disappointment from then-U.S. President Barack Obama. China and South Korea have criticised past visits by senior Japanese officials that they say gloss over Tokyo's wartime actions and damage diplomatic ties. (Production: Joseph Campbell) For more ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below:    • ABS-CBN News   For more Breaking News & Live Coverage videos, click the link below:    • Breaking News & Live Coverage   For more latest news and analysis from ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below:    • The latest news and analysis from ABS-CBN ...   For more News Digital News Raw Cuts, click the link below:    • Плейлист   Subscribe to the ABS-CBN News channel! - http://bit.ly/TheABSCBNNews Watch full episodes on iWantTFC for FREE here: http://iwanttfc.com Visit our website at http://news.abs-cbn.com Facebook:   / abscbnnews   Twitter:   / abscbnnews   Instagram:   / abscbnnews   #NewsDigital #LatestNews #ABSCBNNews