林德宜：靖国神社参拜不利日本形象

日本防卫部长小泉进次郎最近参拜靖国神社，引发亚洲地区政界与民间舆论的不满。

这次参拜于2026年8月15日，正值日本在第二次世界大战投降81周年。

在几乎所有国家，这样的周年纪念都会被视为一个值得羞愧与悲痛的日子。

这是因为日本是在1931年至1945年亚太地区世界第二次大战，这场可怕战争中扮演了重要角色。这场战争造成估计2000万至3000万军民死亡，并在中国、朝鲜、东南亚及太平洋岛屿造成广泛饥荒与大规模基础设施破坏，最终也对日本本身造成严重伤害。不仅有14名被确认的战犯，大批日本帝国军队也参与了令人发指的暴行。

伤亡统计

中国伤亡
● 总伤亡：官方与历史估计显示，从1931年日本入侵满洲，到1945年战争结束的14年冲突期间，中国军民总伤亡人数（包括死亡、受伤及失踪）超过3500万。
● 死亡人数：历史学家及政府纪录普遍估计，死亡人数介于1500万至2000万之间。
● 军人与平民：军人伤亡约380万至500万，这意味著绝大多数惨重伤亡落在手无寸铁的平民身上，包括南京大屠杀、系统性轰炸、强迫劳动营、饥荒，以及生物武器实验等造成的伤亡。

韩国伤亡与征召
● 死亡人数：历史学家估计，1937年至1945年间，约有50万名韩国人因日本的战时动员及殖民政策而死亡。
● 强迫劳动：日本强行动员78万至超过100万名韩国人，让他们在恶劣条件下从事艰苦的工业及军事基础设施劳动，地点遍及日本本土、库页岛及日本各地矿山；这些被征召的劳工中，超过10%因虐待、营养不良或事故而死亡。
●军事及性奴役：超过20万至30万名韩国人被征召从事战斗或军事支援工作，其中军事死亡纪录超过2.2万人；另有估计10万至20万名女性，主要来自韩国及中国，被迫成为所谓“慰安妇”，遭受军事性奴役，死亡率极高。

东南亚与太平洋地区的伤亡
● 在荷属东印度群岛、菲律宾、马来亚及缅甸等地，约有200万至400万名平民及战俘因残酷的军事占领、强迫劳动（例如缅甸—泰国死亡铁路）以及人为制造的粮食短缺而死亡。

基础设施与财产的物质损失
● 中国、韩国及东南亚数以百万计的住宅、历史建筑及重要工业设施遭到摧毁、焚毁及掠夺。
● 经济崩溃：农业体系、航运路线及贸易网络遭到破坏，导致严重的恶性通货膨胀、军票变得一文不值，以及战后广泛的饥荒。
● 资源掠夺：日本军队有系统地掠夺被占领地区的原材料、金属及粮食储备，使整个区域的经济遭到重创，影响延续数十年。

缅怀过去
今年的缅怀及纪念活动，日本采取了首相高市早苗“遥拜”、高级官员集体参拜方式，一种旨在平衡国内政治需求与外交损害控制的新模式。由于她身为日本首位女性首相，亲自参拜靖国神社可能带来更大的政治与外交成本，因此她采取了一种更为含蓄的方式。

据日本当地报导，在出席官方追悼仪式之前，她在仪式场地的停车场进行“遥拜”，面向靖国神社所在的方向，行二鞠躬、二拍手、再一鞠躬的礼仪。同时，她以自民党总裁的身份，自费奉纳“玉串料”（祭祀供奉金），并由自民党干事长铃木俊一代为转达她的“心意”。

据报导，至少有4名现任内阁部长于8月15日亲自参拜靖国神社，包括防卫大臣小泉进次郎、儿童政策担当大臣黄川田仁志、经济安全保障担当大臣小野田纪美，以及经济财政政策大臣城内实。值得注意的是，小泉成为自2024年以来首位在8月15日当天参拜靖国神社的现任防卫大臣。

另一项里程碑，是自民党高层官员进行了一次被形容为“历史性”的集体参拜：干事长铃木俊一、总务会长有村治子，以及选举对策委员长西村康稔也一同参拜。日本媒体指出，多名自民党高层领导人在“终战”周年纪念日集体参拜，是“极为罕见”的情况。这些参拜旨在迎合日本遗族会等保守团体，而后者是自民党的重要支持基础，从而巩固该党的选举根基。

对当代这一代日本政治领袖而言，参拜靖国神社已成为塑造“爱国”形象，以及在国家安全与历史问题上展现“强硬”姿态的一种政治工具。美国总统特朗普或许就是他们仿效的政治领袖。

今年参拜的意义
高市内阁的行动显示，右翼保守势力如今已在自民党内取得主导地位，而温和派声音则被边缘化。

这进一步证明了右翼保守势力在日本国内的强大力量。透过精心设计的政治表演，它建立起权力巩固、历史扭曲与军事扩张之间的直接联系。

靖国神社及国家对其所提供的支持，其象征意义已不只是日本战时侵略亚洲及犯下暴行的历史遗产。

这种做法正在严重偏离日本对和平发展的承诺，同时也对日本与韩国、朝鲜及中国的关系构成难以回避的重大障碍。

林德宜《靖国神社参拜不利日本形象》原文 Yasukuni Shrine Worship Damages Japan

The latest visit by Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to the Yasukuni war shrine has upset political and popular opinion in Asia.

This visit on August 15, 2026, marked the 81st anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II.

In virtually all countries, such an anniversary would be remembered as a day of shame and sorrow.

This is because of Japan’s role in precipitating a horrific war in the Asia Pacific region (1931–1945) which caused an estimated 20 to 30 million civilian and military deaths, widespread famine, and massive infrastructure ruin across China, Korea, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific islands, alongside the eventual damaging impact on Japan itself. Not only the 14 identified war criminals but also a large proportion of the Imperial army engaged in unspeakable atrocities

Casualty Count

Chinese Casualties
●Total Casualties: Official and historical estimates place total Chinese military and civilian casualties (killed, wounded, and missing) at over 35 million during the 14-year conflict starting from the 1931 invasion of Manchuria to 1945.
●Deaths: Out of these, fatalities are widely estimated by historians and government records to range between 15 million and 20 million people.
●Military vs. Civilian: Military casualties accounted for roughly 3.8 million to 5 million, meaning the vast majority of the heavy toll fell on defenseless non-combatants through massacres (such as the Rape of Nanajing, also known as the Nanjing Massacre), systemic bombing, forced labor camps, famine, and biological warfare experiments.

Korean Casualties and Conscription
●Total Deaths: Historians estimate that roughly 500,000 Koreans died from causes tied to Japan's wartime mobilization and colonial policy between 1937 and 1945.
●Forced Labor: Japan forcibly mobilized between 780,000 and over 1 million Koreans for grueling industrial and military infrastructure labor in harsh conditions across the mainland, Sakhalin, and mines in Japan; upwards of 10% of these conscripted workers died from abuse, malnutrition, or accidents.
●Military and Sexual Slavery: Over 200,000 to 300,000 Koreans were inducted into combat or military support roles (with over 22,000 recorded military deaths), and an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 women—predominantly from Korea and China—were forced into military sexual slavery as "comfort women," suffering extreme mortality rates

Southeast Asian and Pacific Losses

●Roughly 2 to 4 million civilians and prisoners died in regions like the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, Malaya, and Burma due to brutal occupations, forced labor (such as the Burma-Thailand Railway), and engineered food shortages.

Material Toll Of Infrastructure and Property
●Millions of homes, historical structures, and vital industrial facilities were destroyed, reduced to ash and looted across China, Korea and Southeast Asia.
●Economic Collapse: Agricultural systems, shipping lanes, and trade networks were shattered, leading to severe hyperinflation, worthless military scrip currency, and widespread postwar starvation.
●Resource Plunder: Japanese forces systematically stripped occupied territories of raw materials, metal, and food reserves, crippling regional economies for decades

Honoring the Past
This year's remembering and honoring the past programme took the form of "remote worship” by Prime Minister Sanai Takaichi, collective visits by senior officials, and a new pattern designed to balance domestic political demands with diplomatic damage control. Whilst disincentivized to visit the shrine in person because of her position as the first female prime minister of Japan, she instead adopted a more subtle approach.

According to local reports, before attending the official memorial ceremony, she performed a "distant worship" (yōhai) in the ceremony venue's parking lot, facing in the direction of Yasukuni Shrine and bowing twice, clapping twice, and bowing once. At the same time, she offered a "tamagushiryō" (ritual offering fee) at her own expense in her capacity as President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and had Secretary‑General Shunichi Suzuki convey her "sentiment”.

At least four serving cabinet ministers were reported to have visited the shrine in person on August 15: Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Minister for Regional Revitalisation Hitoshi Kikawada, Minister for Economic Security Kimie Onoda, and Minister of Economic and Fiscal Policy Minoru Kinjo. Notably, Koizumi became the first sitting Defense Minister to visit Yasukuni on August 15 since 2024.

Another milestone was an "historic" collective visit by top LDP officials: Secretary‑General Shunichi Suzuki, General Council Chair Haruko Arimura, and Election Strategy Committee Chair Yasutoshi Nishimura also visited together. Japanese media noted that the collective visit by multiple senior party leaders on the "end‑of‑war" anniversary was "extremely rare". The visits are intended to appeal to conservative groups such as the Japan War‑Bereaved Families Association, a key support base for the LDP, thereby shoring up the party's electoral foundation.

For the current generation of Japanese political leaders, visiting Yasukuni is serving as a tool to cultivate an image of "patriotism" and "toughness" on national security and historical issues. President Donald Trump is possibly their role model leader,

Significance of This Year’s Visits

The actions of the Takaichi cabinet demonstrate that right‑wing conservative forces have now taken a dominant position within the LDP, while moderate voices have been marginalised.

This is a further testament to the strength of right‑wing conservative forces within Japan. Through a carefully crafted political performance, it establishes a direct link between power consolidation, historical distortion, and military expansion.
 
The symbolism of Yasukuni and state patronage is more than just the historical legacy of Japanese wartime aggression and atrocities across Asia.

It is seriously deviating from Japan's commitment to peaceful development while posing an existential obstacle in relations with South and North Korea and China.

本文观点，不代表《东方日报》立场