What is your 1st reaction if you read German Chancellor to visit the memorial of Hitler and his Nazi henchmen?

Question

And how about the Japanese Prime Ministers who had been visiting the Yasukuni Shrine with their ministers for the Japanese World War 2 soldiers. Is it purely a religion act?

Answer 1

I know of no memorials to Hitler or any of his henchmen in Germany. There are the mortal remains of dead German soldiers interred in various cemeteries in Germany.
Yasakuni Shrine contains the cremains of Japanese soldiers going all the way back to the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. It is Japan's equivalent to Arlington National Cemetery in the U.S. and the Australian cemetery at Townsville in Queensland State. The cremains of Hideki Tojo and others who were hanged after the War Crimes Trials were moved to the shrine from an original burial space behind the base of the Konan statue in Atami, Japan. Since any visit to the shrine by a government official is held away from cameras, one cannot say with certaintly that the purpose of the visit was to show respect to the war criminals interred there. Perhaps it is meant to show respect to those sons of Japan who fell in combat during various wars. The same as an Australian Prime Minister visiting Townsville on Anzac Day or an American President at Arlington on Memorial Day.

Answer 2

Why do Americans reenact the Civil War? Or hang the Confederate battle flag over their capital building even though it has come to symbolize racism? Why do the French glorify Napoleon and build him a shrine? Why do the Norwegians celebrate the vikings? I can continue to list our obsession with history.

The German Chancellor is no different then any other person. It simply has to do with his country's history and culture. Think about the world's obsession with Hitler in general. I own Mein Kampf and if given the opportunity I'd visit the memorial as well.

The same goes with the Japanese Prime Ministers who visited the Yasukuni Shrine. We cannot forget where we came from no matter how dark our past is.

Answer 3

The Japanese ministers honoring their war dead is a far cry from honoring the policies that caused the conflict in the first place. I have no issue with honoring the warriors and not the war itself.

If a German Chancellor visited a memorial to fallen soldiers I would applaud the action. If a German Chancellor visited a Nazi memorial that would be a completely different situation since that would be honoring a criminal and vicious government.

**Edit**
We need to keep in mind that a government official visiting any memorial is far different that a historian, researcher, or even a tourist visiting. Official state visits can easily indicate approval.

Answer 4

I am unaware of any memorials the Germans have built to Hitler and the Nazis. Could you provide a source? As for the Japanese, ancestor worship is a big part of their native religion, Shinto, so there is a distinct possibility that it IS a purely religious act with them.

Answer 5

I'd wanna know what they were there for. If it was to relive "the glory days" of the German/Japanese Empire or to mourn the fallen heroes, then I'd be a little worried. If it was for some other purpose, like to announce some anti-Nazi law or something, then I'd probably say that it was fine.

Cheers!!

Answer 6

my answer to the second question is..... most Japanese soldiers in WW2 were pawns, just the same as were common soldiers of every other country. for the Japanese to honour their war dead is like anyone else doing the same. as for the first question... i hadnt heard about this....but if the memorial Is for the Nazis, and not for German soldiers, most of whom were not Nazis, i find that sick and wrong. scary, even.

Answer 7

About 60% of the laws passed by the Nazis are still on the books in united Germany.