Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi does not visit Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine as the country marks the 81st anniversary of its World War II surrender. Coverage from multiple outlets says she stays away from the shrine, which is widely regarded as controversial because it also honors people convicted or implicated in war crimes.
The reports link her decision to an apparent focus on improving or maintaining relations with China and South Korea, countries that criticize Yasukuni Shrine visits by Japanese officials. One outlet also describes Takaichi’s remarks during the anniversary observance, saying she mourns victims in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Okinawa, along with those who died on overseas battlefronts, and expresses that Japan will not repeat the war. In that account, she does not mention specific Japanese atrocities in Asia or issue an apology.
Other sources provide shorter accounts, focusing mainly on the absence from the shrine and the timing with the anniversary, without detailing the content of her speech.
