Right wing forces are behind Abe

On Dec 26, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Class-A war criminals convicted in the Tokyo Trials are enshrined. Abe totally ignored the consequences of stepping into the shrine to offer his so-called prayers to the spirits of Japan's war dead. In fact, the visit was an act of homage to his spiritual belief, a strong impetus to Japan's right-wing forces, as well as a challenge to the victory against fascism and the post-war international order.

The Yasukuni Shrine is spiritual sustenance for Abe's right-leaning historical view. The shrine was established in 1869 and was originally named Tokyo Shokonsha (the shrine to summon souls). In 1879, it was renamed the Yasukuni Shrine. The Yasukuni shrine honors about 2.46 million Japanese war dead, all of whom are dead from wars of aggression fought worldwide throughout the history of Japan except about 14,000 who died during civil wars.

In 1978, the 14 Class-A war criminals were stealthily enshrined as "martyrs" for the country at Yasukuni. The shrine that honors the most heinous war criminals, such as Hideki Tojo, is not a religious site, but a "sanctuary" for right-wingers to summon the spirit of the dead war criminals. Abe's purpose in risking universal condemnation to visit the shrine was to seek a spiritual sustenance for "meeting the challenges without flinch and timidity".