We Talk: Takaichi's possible Yasukuni Shrine visit draws warning from U.S. scholar

The controversy over whether Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit the Yasukuni Shrine in the near future has been escalating. Known for her right-wing historical stance, Takaichi has visited the shrine multiple times in the past and has questioned Japan's wartime aggression, which is already a settled historical issue.

CGTN Stringer interviewed Professor David Acevedo of the City University of New York. He expressed concern that such a move could impact Japan's relations with China, the ROK and the United States, noting, "it can hurt feelings that we thought were already gone… it can frustrate all the hard work people are doing to improve the relationship."

The Yūshūkan war museum within the Yasukuni Shrine glorifies Japan's war of aggression. It has long been accused of whitewashing the war and attempting to embellish Japan’s crimes during World War Two, drawing criticism from the United States, China, the DPRK and ROK. “You can't whitewash history,” Professor Acevedo emphasized.