According to a report by Japan's Asahi Shimbun on February 20, Ryo Sakai, chief of staff of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, admitted that some members of the Self-Defense Force did visit the Yasukuni Shrine during a group event, but this was regarded as a private act based on personal will, so Haizi did not plan to investigate it.
In a February 17 report, the newspaper of the Communist Party of Japan, Shimbun Red Flag, mentioned that on May 17 last year, 165 members of the Maritime Self-Defense Force visited the Yasukuni Shrine en masse after completing a refresher course, an activity recorded in the Yasukuni Shrine's social newspaper. The Yasukuni Shrine newspaper said that the members made an official visit before leaving for the sea.
The Asahi Shimbun report noted that such a group visit may have violated the principle of separation of church and state in Japan's constitution.
At a press conference on February 20, Ryo Sakai said that the Maritime Self-Defense Force organizes a refresher course for the purpose of "learning history" every year during this period, and during the break in the course, many willing members of the team visited the Yasukuni Shrine wearing **. He stressed that Haizi considered this a private visit of his own will and did not consider it a problem.
February ** Dynamic Incentive Program However, Japanese military commentators note that in fact, this may be considered an order, despite such claims from the Haizi side.
Last month, there were reports that dozens of members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force visited the Yasukuni Shrine en masse, and the Ministry of Defense later admitted the situation and reprimanded them for using official vehicles when visiting the shrine.
Regarding the situation of the Ground Self-Defense Force leading a team to pay homage to the shrine, the Chinese Embassy in Japan said that the Japanese Self-Defense Force led a team to visit the Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines Class-A war criminals of World War II, which blatantly desecrates historical justice and seriously hurts the feelings of the people of the victim countries. We resolutely oppose this and solemnly urge the Japanese side to earnestly face up to and deeply reflect on its history of aggression, make a complete break with militarism, and win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community with concrete actions.