Wednesday 16 November – Thursday 28 July 2011
The Yasukuni Shrine: Religion, Politics and the Legacy of War
Daiwa Foundation Japan House
Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has adhered to his pre-election promise of visiting Yasukuni shrine every year of his term of office. His recent visit has once again stirred controversy at home and abroad. Yasukuni shrine, constructed after the Restoration in mid 19th centuryJapan, is dedicated to the 2.5 million Japanese who gave their lives for their country. The Prime Minister’s patronage of Yasukuni is controversial both because of the enshrinement there of war criminals and because of the Constitution’s provision for the separation of religion and state.
This seminar focused on the contemporary political significance of the shrine – both at home and abroad – and explored the layers of meaning it has subsequently accrued.
About the contributors
Dr John Breen
Dr John Breen is Senior Lecturer in Japanese at SOAS, University of London. His specialisation is in 19th century Japanese history. He is editor of Death in Japan (special issue of the journal Mortality), and co-editor of Japan and Christianity (with Mark Williams) and Shinto in History (with Mark Teeuwen). He has written many articles on 19th century Japan in English and Japanese, and is completing a book on the imperial court and the Meiji restoration.
Dr Caroline Rose
Dr Caroline Rose is Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies in the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Leeds. Her research focuses on contemporary Sino-Japanese relations with particular reference to the history problem and reconciliation. She is author of Interpreting History in Sino-Japanese Relations (Routledge 1998), Sino-Japanese Relations: Facing the Past, Looking to the Future? (Routledge 2004), and a number of articles on Sino-Japanese relations and Japan’s foreign policy. Her current research is on the issue of Japan’s abandoned chemical weapons in China.
Sir Hugh Cortazzi
Sir Hugh Cortazzi (chair) is a former British ambassador to Japan. Sir Hugh joined HM Diplomatic Service in 1949 and in a distinguished career undertook postings in, amongst others, Singapore, Bonn and Washington. He was posted to Japan four times, the final time as Ambassador (1980-84). Sir Hugh has written extensively about Japan both in English and Japanese.