Hirohito not happy with Yasukuni's honoring Class-A war criminals, diaries show

Japan's late Emperor Hirohito was discontented with Yasukuni Shrine's enshrining of Class-A World War II criminals and concerned about disputes with other Asian countries over history, a set of diaries kept by his close aide showed Thursday.

The diaries were kept by Ryogo Urabe, a chamberlain of the Imperial Household Agency, every day from December 1969, shortly after he took the post, to February 2002. Urabe gave them to the major daily Asahi Shimbun before he died in March 2002. The Asahi Shimbun distributed excerpts of the diaries to other media.

On July 31, 2001, Urabe wrote, "The circumstances about why his majesty called off his visit to Yasukuni Shrine...Directly, the emperor was not pleased with its honoring Class-A war criminals."

On April 28, 1988, the emperor mentioned "Yasukuni's honoring war criminals" in a meeting with Urabe, apparently referring to Japanese Class-A war criminals.

The meeting came after the emperor met with then Grand Steward Tomohiko Tomita the same day. Tomita also wrote in his own memoir that the emperor voiced displeasure with Yasukuni's honoring Class-A war criminals in the day's meeting with him.

The emperor also talked about "China's condemnation and Okuno's remarks" during the 1988 meeting with Urabe, his diary said.

Urabe did not elaborate but the emperor was apparently referring to controversial remarks made by Seisuke Okuno, a Cabinet member who then headed the National Land Agency trying to justify Japan's invasion of China shortly before the emperor-Urabe meeting.

The remarks angered China as well as South Korea.

The diaries also included detailed records of the emperor's fight against diseases after he complained of health problems in 1987.

On Sept 14, 1987, Urabe said, "We're on the track of going ahead with a surgery and judged the trip to Okinawa was impossible. Finally, what should come has come. With being overcast with dark clouds, I'm low-spirited and am not enjoying myself."

Urabe was referring to the cancellation of the emperor's trip to Okinawa.

Urabe also recounted his memory of Jan 7, 1989, when the emperor died at age 87, saying, "We transferred the corpse of his majesty from his bedroom to a living room. I was surprised it was so heavy."