China Alarmed by Rites of Spring at Yasukuni Shrine

The English website of Yasukuni Jinja informs us that the Annual Spring Rites are the most important events at the shrine, which was established by Emperor Meiji in 1869 to honor Japan’s war dead. This year, the rites were held from April 21 to 23. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent an offering of sprigs from the evergreen sakaki tree, but she did not go to the shrine herself. However, more than 120 Japanese legislators visited on April 22.

The Chinese and the South Koreans were not pleased. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rolled out its usual tirade, firmly opposing and strongly condemning Takaichi’s offering and calling it “a provocation against Japan’s war victims.” South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed strong disappointment and serious concern.

Before becoming prime minister, Takaichi visited Yasukuni every year. Now she is following a not-quite-established practice of not doing so while in office. But she is presiding over an expanding Japanese military buildup.

On April 21, Takaichi’s Cabinet and National Security Council approved revisions to the “three principles on transfer of defense equipment and technology” to allow exports of lethal weapons systems, including missiles and battleships.

That cleared the way for three Mogami-class frigates to be built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at its Nagasaki shipyard for Australia’s general-purpose frigate program. The Australian government announced contracts with MHI and equipment suppliers NEC, Mitsubishi Electric, and Hitachi on April 18.

NEC will supply large-area sonar, communications, and navigation equipment; Mitsubishi Electric will supply radar and sensors for target identification; and Hitachi will supply hull-mounted anti-mine sonar for the frigates. The first vessel is scheduled to be delivered to Australia in 2029.

Eight more Mogami-class frigates are likely to be built by Austal at its Henderson Shipyards in Fremantle, Western Australia. Most probably, these vessels will also be equipped with sonar, communications, and navigation equipment from NEC, Mitsubishi Electric, and Hitachi.

This is a major breakthrough for Japan’s defense industry and a landmark in the ongoing development of military and national security ties between Japan and Australia. Australian deputy prime minister and minister for defence Richard Marles and Japanese minister of defense Shinjiro Koizumi attended a signing ceremony aboard the Mogami-class frigate JS Kumano, which had sailed to Melbourne as part of joint exercises with the Royal Australian Navy.

In an interview with national daily newspaper Nikkei published on April 22, Koizumi said that the government must take the lead in building up Japan’s defense manufacturing capabilities. That will include coordination with and support for defense contractors large and small, plus startups and venture-capital firms.

Meanwhile, tensions between Japan and China keep rising. After a Japanese destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait on April 17, the Chinese sent an aircraft carrier through the strait and a guided-missile destroyer and a frigate through Japan’s Ryukyu island chain into the Pacific.

For Japan, the situation is aggravated by the increasing unreliability of the US, its main ally and supposed defender. Last week, the Japanese press reported that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had called Koizumi to inform him that shipments of Tomahawk missiles to Japan could be delayed because most of them have been used up in the attack on Iran. Unnamed sources state that it is not clear how long the delays could be.

This is nothing new and might even be regarded as standard US operating procedure. In January, an investigation by Japan’s Board of Audit showed that deliveries of 118 batches of US military equipment ordered by Japan with a combined value of more than $7 billion were at least five years late.

As reported by the Nikkei: “Shipments to Japan can be postponed when Washington determines that delivering equipment would disrupt American military operations.”