TOKYO – Japan’s defense minister on Friday visited a Tokyo shrine viewed by China and both Koreas as a symbol of Japanese wartime aggression to pray for the war dead just days before the nation marks the 76th anniversary of its World War II defeat.

Victims of Japanese actions during the first half of the 20th century, especially the Koreas and China, see the shrine as a symbol of Japanese militarism because it honors convicted war criminals among about 2.5 million war dead.

“It is only natural in every country to pay respects to the spirits of the war dead,” said Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, the younger brother of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, known for his denials of wartime atrocities.

“I expressed my reverence and paid tribute to those who fought for the country and lost their lives in the last war,” Kishi said after offering prayers. “I also renewed my war-renouncing pledge and resolve to protect the lives and peaceful livelihood of the people.”

He is the first serving defense minister to visit Yasukuni since Tomomi Inada, an Abe protégé, visited in December 2016.

Abe stayed away from the shrine for seven years after a 2013 visit triggered outrage from China and the Koreas, but has regularly visited since he resigned as prime minister last year.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga donated a religious ornament during Yasukuni’s spring festival in April but avoided visiting the shrine.

Economy and fiscal policy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, in charge of pandemic measures, visited the shrine separately on Friday.

Kishi and Nishimura said they chose to visit the shrine to avoid crowds and pray quietly ahead of the Aug. 15 anniversary.

South Korea and China criticize offerings or visits by Japanese leaders to the shrine, urging them to face up to and reflect on Japan’s wartime aggression.

Many South Koreans hold strong resentment toward Japan for its 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have sunk to their lowest levels in recent years due to disputes over compensation for Korean wartime forced labor and sexual abuse of so-called “comfort women” by the Japanese military.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it summoned the deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest Kishi’s visit to Yasukuni, a site it described as beautifying “Japan’s past colonial rule and war of aggression and honors war criminals.” Seoul’s Defense Ministry released a statement saying Kishi’s visit was “deplorable” and expressed its “serious concern and regret.”

Source: Voice of America

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Philippine Court Tosses Libel Case Against Journalist Maria Ressa

MANILA – A Philippine court has dismissed a libel case against Maria Ressa, one of several lawsuits filed against the journalist who says she has been targeted because of her news site’s critical reports on President Rodrigo Duterte.

The plight of Ressa, who was named Time Magazine Person of the Year in 2018 for fighting media intimidation, has raised international concern about the harassment of journalists in the Philippines, a country once seen as a standard bearer for press freedom in Asia.

The cyber-libel case was filed by a college professor against Ressa and a reporter at her news site, Rappler, in October. It involved a story alleging that the professor gave students better grades in exchange for money, an accusation he denied.

Ressa, a dual U.S.-Filipino citizen, and Rappler face several other legal cases, including alleged tax offenses and violation of foreign ownership rules in media.

Theodore Te, Ressa’s lawyer, said Thursday the court dismissed the cyber-libel case this week after the professor said he was no longer interested in pursuing it.

It is the second cyber-libel case against Ressa to be thrown out by a court after the complainant withdrew.

In June of last year, however, Ressa was convicted in a cyber libel case filed by businessman Wilfredo Keng over a 2012 article that linked a businessman to illegal activities. Ressa faces up to six years in jail but has appealed the ruling.

“It’s a temporary relief, but the ongoing campaign of harassment and intimidation against me and Rappler continues,” Ressa said in a statement after the case was dismissed.

“These ridiculous cases remind us all of the importance of independent journalism holding power to account.”

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque has repeatedly said Duterte supports freedom of speech even as the leader has publicly lashed out at Rappler, calling it a “fake news outlet” sponsored by American spies.

Source: Voice of America