Former Taiwanese president risks angering China with visit to Tokyo war shrine to honor fallen brother
2007/6/7TOKYO (AP)
Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui visited a Tokyo war shrine Thursday to pay respects to his late brother, a move that could upset China, which views the shrine as a glorification of Japan's militaristic past.
Lee's elder brother was one of tens of thousands of Taiwanese drafted into the Japanese military during colonial rule. He was killed in 1945 while serving with the Japanese navy during World War II.
The Yasukuni Shrine lists him among the 2.5 million war dead it honors, including Japanese leaders executed for war crimes.
China views the shrine as a glorification of Japan's militaristic past and objects to public figures visiting the site.
Lee said his visit was a "private, family event."
"I hope you would not associate it with politics or history," he said in televised comments prior to his visit.
Lee, who served as Taiwanese president from 1988 to 2000, arrived in Japan on Wednesday. He has been a strong critic of Beijing, which claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan more than five decades after the two sides split during a civil war. The mainland has threatened war if the island takes steps to make its de facto independence permanent.
On Wednesday, China accused Lee of using his visit to push for Taiwanese independence and of trying to undermine China-Japan relations. Japan maintains official diplomatic relations with Beijing, but not with Taiwan.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Lee's visit is private and that he does not expect it to hurt Tokyo's relations with Beijing.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said Thursday that Japanese government "will not comment on actions of a private individual."
Yasukuni Shrine is a major source of contention between China and Japan, along with disputes over exploration of underwater gas and interpretations of wartime history.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's six visits to Yasukuni during his 2001-2006 leadership enraged China and South Korea, the two main victims of Japanese aggression in the first half of the 20th century.
2007/6/7TOKYO (AP)
Former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui visited a Tokyo war shrine Thursday to pay respects to his late brother, a move that could upset China, which views the shrine as a glorification of Japan's militaristic past.
Lee's elder brother was one of tens of thousands of Taiwanese drafted into the Japanese military during colonial rule. He was killed in 1945 while serving with the Japanese navy during World War II.
The Yasukuni Shrine lists him among the 2.5 million war dead it honors, including Japanese leaders executed for war crimes.
China views the shrine as a glorification of Japan's militaristic past and objects to public figures visiting the site.
Lee said his visit was a "private, family event."
"I hope you would not associate it with politics or history," he said in televised comments prior to his visit.
Lee, who served as Taiwanese president from 1988 to 2000, arrived in Japan on Wednesday. He has been a strong critic of Beijing, which claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan more than five decades after the two sides split during a civil war. The mainland has threatened war if the island takes steps to make its de facto independence permanent.
On Wednesday, China accused Lee of using his visit to push for Taiwanese independence and of trying to undermine China-Japan relations. Japan maintains official diplomatic relations with Beijing, but not with Taiwan.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Lee's visit is private and that he does not expect it to hurt Tokyo's relations with Beijing.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said Thursday that Japanese government "will not comment on actions of a private individual."
Yasukuni Shrine is a major source of contention between China and Japan, along with disputes over exploration of underwater gas and interpretations of wartime history.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's six visits to Yasukuni during his 2001-2006 leadership enraged China and South Korea, the two main victims of Japanese aggression in the first half of the 20th century.
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