65 years ago, August 15, 1945, Japan lost the war. It was because America was strong and Japan was weak, not because America was good and Japan was evil. Very simple.
Today, Prime Minister Kan and all the Ministers of the Japanese Cabinet did not go to Yasukuni Shrine to worship for dead soldiers. They do not understand the simple fact I wrote above. They believes that those soldiers were wicked militarists or victims deceived by militarists. How stupid! They simply fought for the justice of Japan. Enemies could have another justice. That is their business. We have our own. We lost the war not because we were against justice, but we were weaker than our enemies.
My father wanted to be a mathematician when he was a high school boy, but he was afraid to be drafted into the military service. In those days, students of scientific division were usually assigned to the flight corps, and had to ‘scatter as a flower’, that meant to die as a Kamikaze fighter in suicidal attack. After consideration, he entered medical school.
He was ashamed of running away from the duty throughout his life, although he was drafted into the Navy as a medical doctor. Actually, many of his schoolmates died as Kamikaze fighters. After the war, he decided to contribute people for devoting his life to his patients. He donated money to poor medical students, and was always poor. In this way, he fought for the justice of Japan for life long.
Anyway, the soldiers believed the justice of Japan, and sacrificed themselves to save the nation. What we should do for them? It is obvious. Today, I went to Gokoku Shrine, the branch of Yasukuni Shrine in Osaka. There came some people to worship. A girl danced in front of the altar. Tremendous silence.