Yasukuni

Jeune fille posant une lanterne sur le fleuve Ōta pour les âmes des victimes du bombardement d’Hiroshima. A l’arrière-plan, le dôme de Genbaku, mémorial de la paix d’Hiroshima (K. Mayama/EPA)

Jeune fille posant une lanterne sur le fleuve Ōta pour les âmes des victimes du bombardement d’Hiroshima. A l’arrière-plan, le dôme de Genbaku, mémorial de la paix d’Hiroshima (K. Mayama/EPA)

At a critical time for Japan and the region, the country is undergoing a right-ward political shift under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was re-elected just over a year ago. As head of the Liberal Democratic Party, Abe is known as a conservative hawk who has pushed nationalistic and pro-nuclear policies. In December, he visited the controversial Yasukuni war shrine, which honors Japanese soldiers who died in battle, including several war criminals who were tried by the International Military Tribunal after World War II.