Tokyo: Yasukuni Shrine, a site laden with historical significance and controversy, has stirred debate anew by appointing a former military commander as its chief priest, a move likely to reignite tensions over Japan’s wartime past.
Umio Otsuka, 63, a former Maritime Self Defense Force (SDF) commander and once an ambassador to Djibouti, has confirmed his appointment, marking the first time since 1978 that an ex-military official has assumed this prestigious role.
The last retired military officer to hold this position, Nagayoshi Matsudaira, enshrined 14 convicted war criminals alongside the 2.5 million war dead commemorated at the shrine, including World War Two-era Prime Minister Hideki Tojo.
“I feel very honored that the next stage of my life will be to serve this shrine for peace, where the spirits of those who gave their precious lives for the country are commemorated and honored,” expressed Otsuka to Reuters.
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While a spokesperson for Yasukuni Shrine declined to officially confirm Otsuka’s appointment, the controversial history of the shrine continues to spark criticism from neighboring countries, particularly South Korea and China, which view Yasukuni as a symbol of Japan’s wartime aggression.
Conservatives argue that Yasukuni Shrine, founded in 1869 during Japan’s emergence from centuries of isolation, serves as a commemoration for all the nation’s war dead, distancing it from solely being a shrine dedicated to those blamed for Japan’s past conflicts.
Otsuka’s elevation to chief priest coincides with deepening security cooperation between Tokyo and Seoul, as well as with their shared ally, the United States, in response to heightened regional threats from China, Russia, and North Korea.
Notably, no serving Japanese prime minister has visited Yasukuni Shrine since Shinzo Abe’s 2013 visit, which drew disappointment from then-U.S. President Barack Obama.
