U.S. congressman seeks assurances on Yasukuni
05/15/2006
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
A senior U.S. congressman has demanded assurances that Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi will not visit Yasukuni Shrine if he is
to make a speech to a joint session of Congress in June, sources
said.
In a letter to Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis
Hastert in late April, Henry Hyde asked that Koizumi take steps to
reassure Congress that he would not visit Yasukuni any time soon
after his unprecedented address to the joint session.
Without the assurance, Koizumi's visit to Capitol Hill would
dishonor the place where Franklin Roosevelt made his "day of
infamy" speech after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, wrote
Hyde, who is chairman of the House Committee on International
Relations.
In Tokyo, officials were quick to play down any effect the letter
might have on Japan-U.S. relations.
Some government sources went so far as to deny that Japan is
seeking an opportunity for Koizumi to address a joint session of
the House and the Senate, which would be a first for a Japanese
prime minister.
At the same time, the Republican congressman said he was concerned
about the possible fallout from a visit to Yasukuni Shrine by
Koizumi, especially on or near Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's
surrender in World War II.
Hyde pointed out that, along with the rest of Japan's war dead,
Yasukuni venerates 14 Class-A war criminals, including Hideki Tojo,
the prime minister when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941,
forcing the United States to enter the war.
Hyde said that for the generation that remembers Pearl Harbor, a
visit by Koizumi to Yasukuni soon after a speech to Congress would
be an affront.
Both houses of Congress must give their consent for someone to
address a joint session. So far, concerns about Koizumi making a
speech have not been raised in the Senate.
Sources said Hastert had yet to respond to Hyde's letter.
Hyde was first elected to the U.S. House in 1974. A Navy veteran,
Hyde saw action in the Philippines during World War II.
Last fall, Hyde sent a letter to Japanese Ambassador Ryozo Kato,
saying he is concerned about Koizumi's repeated visits to
Yasukuni.
When the issue has come up, it is usually in connection with the
impact on Japan's relationship with China and South Korea.
However, sources in Koizumi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party said
this latest incident underscores the importance of the Yasukuni
issue. Its effect on Japan's relationship with its Asian neighbors
is likely to play a lead role in the selection of Koizumi's
successor when he steps down in September, they said.