Japan has tens of thousands of Shinto shrines of all sizes, but Yasukuni Shrine has long been highly controversial.

Honoring around 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, Yasukuni Shrine – located in central Tokyo – has drawn strong condemnation from neighboring countries.

In recent years, visits to Yasukuni Shrine by some Japanese leaders have not only worsened Japan's relations with its neighbors but also deeply hurt the feelings of people in those countries. The current Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, visited Yasukuni Shrine many times before taking office.

Facing outrage from the victims of Japan's wartime aggression, Japanese politicians often downplay the controversy, claiming, "Yasukuni Shrine is merely a Shinto site for honoring and consoling the spirits of the dead." Yet the highly revered site is filled with symbols closely tied to militarism and war.

The bases of two large stone lanterns at Yasukuni Shrine feature bas-reliefs depicting Japan's wars, including the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 (also known as the Jiawu War) and the suppression of indigenous uprisings in Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule, deliberately highlighting them as Japanese military "feats." Some of these images were even printed on postcards.

But where, then, is the mourning for the blood and tears of the countless Asian civilians who suffered in these so-called feats of the Japanese army?

Another striking irony is that Hideki Tojo, a key architect of Japan's wartime aggression in Asia, is enshrined as a "Showa Martyr," despite having been sentenced to death for war crimes and executed by hanging.

Within Yasukuni Shrine, the museum known as Yushukan cannot be overlooked. Its historical narratives are riddled with distortions, deliberately blurring right and wrong.

For example, it claims that Japanese soldiers who loved their families would never commit acts of plunder or other atrocities overseas. In reality, Japan brutally occupied large parts of Asia before and during World War Two, causing untold suffering and death to hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. The Japanese army also conducted experiments on living victims, committing acts of extreme cruelty.

In its very brief description of the Nanjing Massacre, where some 300,000 Chinese people were killed, it is called the "Nanjing Incident," and the massacre is described merely as an event in which "the Chinese soldiers disguised in civilian clothes" were "severely persecuted."

Unlike other historical sites or tourist attractions in Japan, there are no Chinese or Korean guides or explanations at Yasukuni Shrine. Some right-wing Japanese forums have even called for Chinese and Korean materials to be produced for Yushukan, claiming it would "convey correct history."

Yet among visitors, there are those who see the truth. In the Yushukan guestbook, an English message signed "J.D." reads: "I feel very sad and concerned about Japan and the Japanese perception of history. Glorifying militarist history will not bring lasting peace."

(With input from Xinhua)