Japan War-Bereaved Families Association

This deal involved the establishment of a tradition whereby the prime minister would privately visit Yasukuni Shrine on August 15 each year, the anniversary of the end of World War II.

In response, a new agreement between the JWBFA and the LDP was established: the prime minister would now make official visits, forcing Japan to recognize Yasukuni Shrine as a commemorative site for the first time.

In 2014 the Fukuoka Prefecture chapter of the association called for the A-class war criminals enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine to be removed to make the site less controversial.

The statement stated that the chapter “hopes that the emperor and empress, as well as the prime minister and all other Japanese nationals, will be able to pay their respects at Yasukuni without reserve”.

[1] One main political value that is held by JWBFA is to make it a mandate for high ranking Japanese official to visit and pay respect to Yasukuni Shrine and some of the WWII criminals that are enshrined inside it.