Shinzo Abe square off in Diet over Yasukuni, nationalism

TOKYO — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe squared off with opposition lawmakers Monday in the Diet's first lower house session since his policy address last Friday, with opposition Democratic Party of Japan's Yukio Hatoyama criticizing Abe's "beautiful country, Japan" concept as having a nationalistic and authoritarian undertone.

Hatoyama, the DPJ's secretary general, also touched on history issues and asked Abe to clarify his views on the responsibility of Class-A war criminals as leaders of the nation during World War II. Hatoyama demanded that Abe pledge not to visit the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine.

Abe, who took office last Tuesday and is known for his conservative view on history, said he will in principle follow the government's view of Japan's wartime history expressed in a landmark 1995 statement, in which then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama apologized and expressed remorse for Japan's colonial rule and atrocities before and during World War II.

But Abe stressed that he believes there are various opinions in the debate as to the responsibilities of wartime leaders and that it is "inappropriate for the government to make a specific judgment regarding the responsibilities of Class-A war criminals as leaders."

Abe, who supported his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni and is a regular worshipper himself, reiterated that he will not make public whether or not he will go to the shrine and whether or not he had gone there as premier.

"It's a country where nationalism and authoritarianism hold sway and politics is pushed away from life," Hatoyama told the plenary session of the House of Representatives.

Hatoyama said social and economic gaps have been widening among citizens under Koizumi's administration and Abe should be held responsible collectively because he held key posts in the governing Liberal Democratic Party and also in the cabinet when Koizumi was in power.

Standing in for DPJ President Ichiro Ozawa, hospitalized for a medical checkup, Hatoyama proposed that Abe, who is the LDP president, hold weekly debates with the DPJ leader.

Hatoyama also criticized Koizumi's administration for "having completely failed" in diplomacy with North Korea, given Pyongyang's missile firings in July.

The DPJ executive challenged Abe to reconfirm his basic policy for not normalizing relations with North Korea unless all Japanese abductees return home.

On the economic front, Hatoyama questioned if Abe is intent on hiking the consumption tax after an upper house election next July.

Abe dodged the question by only saying, "Detailed deliberations will be held from autumn next year."