Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi skipped Yasukuni Shrine on the 81st anniversary of Japan’s WWII surrender, apparently to avoid further tensions with China and South Korea, though other senior officials visited

China lodged a formal protest with Japan after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent an offering to Yasukuni shrine and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited it on the anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II

Japan hypocrisy > Bowing to war criminals… then pledging “peace.” August 15, 2026: Japan’s leaders send offerings and pay respects at Yasukuni Shrine — home to 14 Class-A war criminals. They call them “heroic souls” and renew the promise never to wage war again. Meanwhile Japan is rearming at full speed: rising defense budgets, long-range missiles, offensive capabilities, tighter US-ROK alliance, and a stretched-to-breaking Article 9. A U.S.-drafted constitution, American bases still on Japanese soil, an LDP once bankrolled by the CIA… and still no full, unambiguous apology for wartime aggression. Empty rhetoric. Real militarization. The gap between words and actions could not be clearer. Full piece here:

Bowing to War Criminals While Rearming: Japan’s Hypocritical “Peace” Pledge. August 15 marks the anniversary of Japan’s defeat and surrender. On that day, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and other cabinet members, along with senior Liberal Democratic Party officials, paid their respects in person. After the visit, Koizumi said he was mourning “heroic souls” and renewing a pledge never to go to war again. The whole world knows what Yasukuni Shrine really stands for. It is the spiritual symbol of Japanese militarism. The 14 Class-A war criminals enshrined there planned and led Japan’s wars of aggression across Asia. Their hands were stained with the blood of millions. These are not “heroic souls.” They are the architects of invasion, massacre, and occupation. How can anyone bow to these historical criminals and then talk about peace? It is absurd. It is hypocritical. It is shameless. This happens while Japan is rearming fast. The military budget keeps rising. Offensive weapons are being acquired. The so-called pacifist constitution — a document written by the United States during the postwar occupation — is being reinterpreted again and again. Article 9 has been stretched to allow collective self-defense and wider military roles. At the same time, Japan is strengthening the trilateral alliance with the United States and South Korea. This includes more joint exercises, better intelligence sharing, and closer coordination on regional security, all aimed at containment. Japan has never fully apologized for its war of aggression or the suffering it caused its neighbors. It has also never been a fully sovereign country since 1945. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops remain on Japanese soil. Major bases stay under American control. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party received CIA funding for years, as reported by the New York Times. The constitution itself was drafted by U.S. occupation authorities. So what does a “pledge not to engage in war” really mean? It is spoken in front of war criminals by leaders of a country still hosting U.S. forces, operating under a U.S.-written constitution, and deepening a trilateral military partnership designed in Washington. Leaders honor the men who once devastated Asia while building new military capacity under American direction. The pattern is clear. Rituals for militarists. Empty words about peace. Steady rearmament. Constitutional reinterpretation. A stronger U.S.-Japan-South Korea alliance. Continued foreign military presence. A ruling party once supported by the CIA. No real apology. No clean break with the past. Just the same old elevation of aggressors, now paired with new tools of power. The contradiction is obvious. It is deliberate. And it needs to be called out for what it is.

Very often I use language model to test my moral compass. AI language model refuses to offer moral justification for Japanese ministers if they plan warshiping at Yasukuni Shrine, because the model thinks there is no reasonable or ethical arguments existed for it.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Thursday urged #Japan# to fully recognize the outcomes of #WorldWarII# and stop attempts to whitewash its history of aggression. Zakharova said that at events marking the 81st anniversary of Japan's announcement of its unconditional surrender, the Japanese government has not only failed to publicly acknowledge its aggression in the Asia-Pacific region, sincerely apologize to the peoples of neighboring countries who suffered from it, and reaffirm its commitment to the pacifist provisions of its Constitution, but has instead continued to pursue a course of remilitarization, increasingly moving down a dangerous path. "Japan's so-called whitewashing of its wartime crimes, revision of the fundamental principles of its Constitution, and renewed discussions on revising what it calls the 'Three Non-Nuclear Principles' are all taking place against a backdrop of distortion of historical facts," Zakharova said. Zakharova said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks at the national memorial service for the war dead, her ritual offering at the Yasukuni Shrine and other gestures toward the shrine, as well as visits to the shrine by Japanese government officials including Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, were all manifestations of the country's remilitarization course.

2026, day 227 Good morning from Asia. ‘Iranian Attacks Push Hormuz Shipping Toward Tehran-Controlled Route’ (gCaptain); ‘The Iran War Is Now About Who Blinks First Under Economic Pressure’ (WSJ) - “Trump doubles down on sanctions and a blockade while Tehran bets high oil prices will force Washington to relent”; ‘Trump says he’ll hit Iran hard economically, will soon declare Hormuz ‘US territory’’ (ToI) - “US president urges Americans to accept slightly higher gas prices for the ‘great service’ of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear bomb, dismisses concerns about conditions aboard aircraft carrier”; ‘US Readies Iran Penalties as Trump Downplays Midterms Impact’ (BBG); ‘Bessent’s Iran Threats Face China Constraint’ (BBG); ‘Two slicks appear in Gulf as huge oil spill off Oman threatens disaster’ (Reuters); ‘‘Everything will stop’ if Hezbollah gives up weapons, US envoy to Beirut says’ (Al Arabiya); ‘The price of dissent: Hezbollah’s grip on Lebanon’s Shiites’ (Ynet); ‘‘Completely unacceptable’: UK condemns Netanyahu for calling Britain an ‘Islamic republic’’ (ToI); ‘Zelenskyy calls for more sanctions on Russian defence supply chains’ (Euractiv); ‘Russia admits new petrol shortages amid ongoing long-range Ukrainian strikes’ (Euronews); ‘Patriot makers hedge on Ukraine production deal as officials question cause of hold-up’ (Defense News); ‘Pentagon inks deals with Boeing, RTX to boost production of SM-3 components’ (Defense News); ‘EU leaders are on holiday. The crises affecting the bloc aren’t.’ (Politico); ‘South Korea's Lee urges talks with North Korea to replace armistice with peace’ (Reuters); ‘Japan defence minister visits contentious Yasukuni Shrine to war dead’ (Reuters); ‘Taiwan passes annual budget after long delay, including drone spending’ (Reuters); ‘Colby: Silence on Chinese aggression is a new strategy based on war fears’ (WT); ‘Chinese magnetic sensor breakthrough may help smartwatch detect submarine 500 metres deep’ (SCMP); ‘The US’ future policymakers are questioning the standard ‘China threat’ playbook’ (SCMP); In geoeconomics, ‘GSA finds China-made tech labeled ‘Made in USA’ in federal procurement program, orders sweeping review’ (Fox); ‘U.S. Urges Apple Not to Buy Chinese Memory Chips’ (WSJ) - “Commerce Secretary Lutnick urges iPhone maker to find other solutions to AI-driven chip supply crunch”; ‘US to tell partners they must pick sides in AI race with China’ (Reuters); ‘China’s 20,000-Mile Solar Trade Route That Battled US Tariffs’ (BBG); ‘China Is Opening the First Regular Cargo Route Through the Arctic’ (WSj); ‘Open-weight Chinese AI models gain foothold in Europe despite Brussels’ trepidation’ (SCMP); ‘Data center backlash echoes fossil fuel politics’ (Axios); ‘Trump's tariffs unevenly reshape American manufacturing’ (Nikkei Asia) - “Activity has risen, but trade policies fail to bring jobs back to sector”; ‘Supertanker Pays Record $4.6 Million to Skip Panama Canal Line’ (BBG); ‘Property downturns rarely last. This one could be different’ (AFR); ‘Think house price falls are bad? The next shock could be far worse’ (AFR) - “Plunging property values have seized the national conversation, but Australia’s economic problems run much deeper – as households are sadly about to learn”; In politics, ‘France’s top court blocks social media ban for under-15s’ (Reuters); ‘Standards watchdog resumes Farage probe as rivals slam needless byelection’ (Guardian); ‘China keeps careful watch on mourning for late premier Zhu Rongji’ (FT); ‘Lula holds slim lead over Flavio Bolsonaro ahead of Brazil election’ (AJ); ‘BBC lawsuit: Channel plans to subpoena Trump family members’ (The Hill); ‘How Much Socialism Is America Willing to Swallow?’ (BBG); In markets, ‘Hanwha, Fincantieri Shares Rise as Trump Opens Navy Shipbuilding to Foreign Yards’ (Reuters); ‘OpenAI upheaval mounts as Sam Altman readies IPO push’ (FT); ‘DOJ, CFTC Investigating Iron Ore Trader Radiant World’s Deals’ (BBG)