Washington on Monday avoided taking sides over Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to a shrine honoring Japan’s war dead that has angered South Korea and China. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said his government hoped countries in the region can cooperate and solve their historical differences through friendly discussions with Japan.
However, a New York Times editorial condemned Koizumi's visits to the shrine as an overt endorsement of Japanese war criminals and an insult to the descendents of those who suffered under Japanese aggression. "The Shinto shrine, which deifies Japan's 2.5 million war dead, including war criminals responsible for atrocities throughout Asia, is regarded by most Asians as the symbol of unrepentant militarism." The paper added Koizumi should face up to right-wingers in his country rather than pandering to them.
