On July 26, the Osaka High Court made the second ruling on the complaint by relatives of Japanese and South Korean war dead against Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine which are in violation of the principle of separation of politics from religion as stipulated in Japan's Constitution. The court, asserting that Koizumi's visits do not infringe upon the rights of the plaintiffs, supported Osaka local court's first instance decision and rejected their claim for compensation. Such a ruling once again arouses world people's deep thinking.

Many people feel it hard to understand Koizumi's "conviction" in obstinately keeping visiting the Yasukuni Shrine. Not long ago, Yasukuni lit a " paper lantern" presented by Koizumi "for guarding the dead". He took the lamp as an expression of his will, proclaiming once again that he consistently sticks to his "conviction". As a matter of fact, his motive power comes mainly from his narrow nationalist-minded pursuit. As for Koizumi, his pigheaded insistence on visiting the Yasukuni Shrine is because he is haunted by his confused "origin of the mind", which is specifically embodied in a book compiled according to notes by a group of students from the Kamikaze Squad of the Japanese navy during World War II. It is said that Koizumi is never tired of reading the book.

People understanding Japanese modern history all know that cherry blossom was once taken as the army emblem of the Japanese navy. As cherry blossom is characterized by coming out together and withering together, such relationship of being bound together for good or evil is taken as a symbol of "live and die together" in naval warfare. At a cherry blossom appreciation gathering held by Koizumi himself, the Prime Minister chanted an ancient Japanese poem emotionally "if you ask what is the national spirit of Japan, it is the cherry blossom with wafting scent in the morning sun." With such a book by his pillow, what kind of a big-power blueprint is the Japanese Prime Minister dreaming of? The answer is self-evident.

Nevertheless, Koizumi is, after all, a politician, not a poet, so his spiritual pursuit is usually revealed in his political moves. As far as Japanese politicians are concerned, disputes with China and the Republic of Korea etc. over historical issues are not merely an issue of history but also have the connotation of the very practical need of international strategic interests. Koizumi is no exception, because what historical imbroglio often mirrors is his real, eager political pursuit.

What is the biggest obstacle to the realization of Koizumi's political dream? It is the resentment against the abandonment of the pacifist constitution, as is borne by the Japanese general public who have long been living under the regulation of this constitution. What does Japan lack in its intention to become a political and military power? It is most nationals' lack of "patriotic ardor" featuring the risk of their lives as expected by some Japanese politicians. Japan has sufficient economic, technical and capital strengths. However, if the ideal of strategic politicians, including Koizumi, cannot be accepted by the masses, Japan will only be a "lame giant" in their eyes.

In other words, to have a say in regional matters, what Japan lacks is not hard strength, but soft strength determined by the socio-political environment. So, Koizumi decided to practice what he advocates, trying to galvanize people's "patriotic enthusiasm" with his exemplary persistence in Yasukuni Shrine visits. At a seminar on the basic law for education, the Liberal Democratic Party insisted on "taking cultivating patriotism as the core and focus of educational reform", aimed precisely at supplementing the scarce spiritual sources necessary for becoming a political and military power. This is one of the main reasons for Koizumi's insistence on visiting the Yasukuni Shrine regardless of protests by its neighboring countries and opposition from the government and general public.

At a forum in Beijing University last May, US former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gave the following comments on Japan: "Wartime Japan was an enemy hard to deal with, and it swiftly turned into a seemingly democratic country after the war. But if you have a look at Japan's history, you will find that the country has an extremely strong sense of self-identity. The Japanese think they can do anything and it is Japan that invariably wins the final victory." In fact, history has mercilessly satirized the Japanese helmsmen who "think that they can do anything" and win "the final victory" -- from Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) who attempted to swallow up Korea and China to Hideki Tojo (1884-1948) who vainly attempted to build the "Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere" and proceed to seek world dominance -- their plots for unjust aggressions all ended up in failure.

We don't know to which day and to what extent the Japanese Right-wingers' efforts to "remold" the national spirit will persist. But people are convinced that their attempts will eventually fall through because times have changed and today's Asian people, including the Japanese, all resent war and long for peace. They will absolutely not allow Japan to repeat the same historical mistake.

By People's Daily Online