HEIL HIROHITO!

by Colin Liddell

Today (April 29th) is Showa Day here in Japan. This is a national holiday, held in honour of the Emperor Hirohito. Showa is his death name and the name of the period defined by his reign (1926-89), a period when Japan made two distinct grabs at world domination and came reasonably close in both cases, before the constrictions of being a relatively small island nation kicked in.

YASUKUNI JINJA – THE MISUNDERSTOOD SHRINE TO JAPAN'S WAR DEAD

"I'm a Belieber" – Justin Bieber pays his respects.

by Colin Liddell

April is a big month in the calendar of Yasukuni, the shrine in downtown Tokyo dedicated to the souls of all those who have died in the service of the Japanese Emperors since the Meiji Revolution. It is therefore also a big month for making a fuss about the enshrinement of a group of men, who since the post-War trials carried out by the US occupation forces, have been called "war criminals."

Aside from the quaint notions that war should be some kind of sport played by gentlemen and that "war criminals" can only come from the losing side, Yasukuni Jinja never fails to create major misunderstandings between Japan and the West, misunderstandings that are quickly latched onto by interested parties in North East Asia who probably know a lot better.