Inside the shrine, 14 convicted Class-A war criminals are worshipped among the 2.5 million Japanese war dead.

Former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the shrine angered China and South Korea, which accused Japan of not doing enough to atone for its wartime past.

The image of flag-waving Japanese roaring in support of the visits at the entrance of the shrine also triggered concerns about a revival of Japan's militaristic past.

While most Chinese lodge strong protests with their former aggressor over the disrespectful visits, Japanese public opinion remains divided on the controversial issue.

Driven by blind patriotism, right-wing nationalists throw their full weight behind the visits. To the relief of the Chinese government, such hardcore militarists are a minority and most contemporary Japanese want strengthened ties with China, an economic powerhouse with vast market potential.

After recent news that Japanese Emperor Hirohito decided not to visit the memorial after Class-A war criminals were secretly enshrined there in 1978, more Japanese joined the opposing camp and demanded that their leaders drop the visits.

However, as the issue carries much historical and diplomatic baggage, it is believed that no simple solution can be found to put an end to the hostilities.

Other non-political concerns also complicate the issue. As the site housing the shrine is not government property, some Japanese think that worshipping fallen soldiers on private premises is their basic human right. They also feel obliged to pay their respects to their patriotic forebears who sacrificed their lives for the country.

To remove the source of contention, some have proposed removing the names of the 14 Class-A war criminals from the scrolls inside the shrine. However, the proposition was dismissed as impossible by the priests who manage the shrine.

They maintain that the names honoured within are all part of a 'pool of souls'. Under Shinto beliefs, to remove a single soul would be like trying to recover a drop from a pool of water.

Given that Mr Abe has refused to state whether he would visit the shrine or not, the Yasukuni issue will remain a bone of contention in future talks between China and Japan.

Japanese politicians

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

The grandson of a suspected war criminal, Mr Abe is known for his conservative views. A frequent shrine visitor in the past, he pledged to revise the pacifist constitution, strengthen patriotic education in Japanese schools and fight for a bigger international role for Japanese troops.

Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso

A hardliner with conservative views, Taro Aso has called for the Japanese emperor to pray at the shrine. He called China a military threat and accused Beijing of using beautiful women as spies to lure Japanese diplomats into revealing classified information. His provocative remarks have angered China and raised eyebrows among other Asian nations.

Think about

Do you think Mr Abe should continue to visit Yasukuni shrine?

Do you think Japan has done enough to atone for its wartime past?

Apart from the Yasukuni issue, what events can you think of that have strained relations between China and Japan over the past few years?

Word power

Match the words with their meanings on the right.

1. consensus

2. worshipped

3. accused

4. atone

5. roaring

6. patriotism

7. forebears

a. said somebody had done something wrong

b. the love for one's country

c. making long, loud sounds

d. showed love and admiration for something/somebody

e. agreement in opinion

f. ancestors

g. do something to compensate for a previous error

Fill in the blanks with the words you have just learned

Low-paid workers __________ the government of not doing enough to protect their well-being. They demanded a minimum wage be set.

After much discussion, Hong Kong and Guangdong officials have reached a _________ on how to combat air pollution.

In order to nurture ___________ among their students, the school arranged their students to visit mainland China last summer.

In Tsing Ming Festival, Chinese will go grave-sweeping to pay respects to their _________.

Catholics believe they can pray and fast to ________ for their sins.

Taoist deities are ____________ inside the Wong Tai Sin temple in Kowloon.

The angry lion is _______ in the cage.

Language focus

Relative pronouns

A relative pronoun links two clauses into a single complex clause.

The following are examples from the passage.

They also feel obliged to pay respects to their patriotic forebears who sacrificed their lives for their country.

Former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the shrine angered China and South Korea, which accused Japan of doing not enough to atone for its wartime past.

Fill in the blanks with the relative pronouns in the box.

who which where when whose whom

My friend, _______ idol is Leonardo DiCaprio, asked me to see

The Departed with him.

The girl to ________ I talked just now is my girlfriend.

Australia is a huge country ________ is surrounded by the sea.

The girl _______ seldom talks in class is my cousin.

Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan place __________ east meets west.

July 1, 1997 is _______ Hong Kong was returned to China.

Answers:

1e; 2d; 3a; 4g; 5c; 6b; 7f; 1. accused 2. consensus 3. patriotism 4. forebears 5. atone 6. worshipped 7. roaring; 1. whose 2. whom 3. which 4. who 5. where 6. when