It cannot be denied that there is a strong worldwide interest in the Japanese culture – and most anything Japanese, in fact. At the same time, there are certain topics that are almost taboo – and one of them is the war. There were many repercussions of what happened many decades ago and the topic is still quite sensitive in some sectors.
This piece of news that I read from The Japan Times seems to foretell a slight shift in ideas:
The government Friday declared null and void a 1949 state-imposed ban on public schools organizing field trips to Tokyo’s war-related Yasukuni Shrine.
The government clarified the point in reply to a query by Takeo Hiranuma, a nationalist ex-trade minister from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party who is now an independent Lower House lawmaker.
Hiranuma, along with several LDP hawks, was involved in obscuring the international outcry over the wartime sex slave issue and blocking discussion on having a female head the Imperial family.
The government’s answer in a document the Cabinet endorsed Friday said, “It is permissible for schoolchildren to visit Yasukuni Shrine to learn about Japanese history and culture as part of school education. “
The Shinto shrine in Chiyoda Ward honors Japan’s war dead, as well as convicted war criminals, who were dedicated at Yasukuni in the 1970s.
I am sure that this is a positive step toward acceptance and knowledge, especially for the younger generation.