Author Description

This book is the first authoritative volume in English on Yasukuni, the controversial Shinto shrine in the heart of Tokyo, dedicated to the Japanese war dead. Twelve convicted and two suspected Class A criminals are enshrined at Yasukuni, while the shrine’s museum narrates and account of Japan’s actions in the Second World War that is best described as revisionist. Visits to the shrine by cabinet members often set off protests at home and abroad, especially in China, Korea and Taiwan, and Yasukuni remains a source of considerable mistrust between the Chinese and Japanese governments. This volume sets out neither to commend Yasukuni nor to condemn it; it seeks, rather, to present authoritative yet divergent views. It accommodates chapters by Japanese intellectuals; it carries multiple Chinese perspectives; and there are also contributions from Western commentators who offer their own insights on the shrine and its place in post-war Japanese diplomacy, ideology and history.