the official homepage of yasukuni shrine says:

"When the Emperor Meiji visited Tokyo Shokonsha for the first time on January 27 in 1874, he composed a poem; "I assure those of you who fought and died for your country that your names will live forever at this shrine in Musashino". As can be seen in this poem, Yasukuni Shrine was established to commemorate and honor the achievement of those who dedicated their precious life for their country. The name "Yasukuni," given by the Emperor Meiji represents wishes for preserving peace for the nation.

Currently, more than 2,466,000 divinities are enshrined here at Yasukuni Shrine. These are souls of men who made ultimate sacrifice for their nation since 1853 during national crises such as the Boshin War, the Seinan War, the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars, World War I, the Manchurian Incident, the China Incident and the Greater East Asian War (World War II). These people, regardless of their rank or social standing, are considered to be completely equal and worshipped as venerable divinities of Yasukuni."

at least i interpret this as it is only for those who died in wars for japan.

In my opinion a little sensitivity goes a long way though.

If you display the intelligence to distinguish Japan from it's past and the people of it's past who committed crimes against humanity from normal people who got caught up in the events of the day then I think you'll find that people will be less begrudging, if at all when discussing the subject.

I agree. When I discuss this subject or any other touchy one, I try to be correct in who I point fingers at. I'm not really saying it's okay to be insensitive, just that it's common, and usually harmless, for people to call individuals by their country's name. Like when we say "Iran did so and so", well I'm sure there were some people who disagreed.

Ah... I see what you're saying. :D

Yeah I do that too I suppose if the context of the conversation allows me to or the people I'm discussing whatever topic with I'm familiar enough with for them to know what I'm saying.

I would visit it. My grandfather fought in the war of the Pacific, and lost many friends. He held no grudges against the Japanese. People of his time were not strangers to war, and the horrors that came with it. Arriving in Tokyo escorting the Missouri, he was present at the signing of the surrender.

Quite surprisingly, he found himself treated with respect by the Japanese, who were by then long tired of war, and naturally respectful to any enemy strong enough to have defeated them. Allied soldiers were not as well respected in defeated Germany, remnants of the Nazis still on the loose frequently attacked allied soldiers for nearly 2 years following the end of the war, until they were all eventually hunted down and shot or hung.

My girlfriend's grandfather was also a veteran of the war, having worked as an interpreter until he was captured by the Americans and held as a POW.

The Chinese are different, they seem to have much longer memories than westerners. If I go to a Chinese restaurant in America with my girlfriend, somehow they immediately know she is Japanese, and they are noticeably less friendly. It doesn't matter that the war occurred many years before either they or she was born, they are still resentful.

Dedication in the 19th century has little to do with how it is considered now. As for those "enshrined" in the shrine, you have to be registered there for that to happen... And as I would assume 99.9% of those registered there are Japanese - being as the shrine itself is in Japan - it is going to be overwhelmingly Japanese.

That doesn`t change the popular view that it is dedicated to those who died in wars the world over. And even if we do limit it to only those in Japan, the only criteria for being there is having died in a war... Well, no, criteria is a bit harsh. I believe that anyone Japanese who dies in a war is automatically registered by name there. Out of however many people whose names are there, certainly a few are going to be criminals...

But the majority are regular people. My husband has several relatives whose names are there - it`s cruel to rule the shrine out because there are a few black specks. I highly doubt anyone goes there thinking of war criminals while they pray. They pray for all those who have died in wars. People throw fits about officials going to pray there, but I`m personally more shocked if they don`t... That is denying the sacrifices everyone ELSE enshrined there made.

i'm sorry, i must have missed that the popular view is that the shrine is for all those who died in wars all over the world, regardless of the country they were fighting for.

what many of those being negative to the yasukuni shrine argue is that (in no particular order and not exclusively):

1. it enshrines war criminals, convicted by a court recognised by Japan
2. the war criminals did not die in a war, they died during peace time. only those who died in war should be enshrined
3. state and religion is separate in Japan, the shrine is a religious monument.
4. the war criminals were enshrined years after their death
5. the yashukan, the shrine-owned museum, has a very one-sided presentation of the second world war, and is also sometimes accused of revisionism