I refer to the recent controversy surrounding the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine despite repeated opposition from the international community.

In ordinary circumstances, the visit of the leader of a country to its war shrine to remember the dead is an acceptable practice. Many countries hold special days for that purpose. But for the outgoing Japanese prime minister to visit a war shrine to honour convicted and executed war criminals of WW2 is an insult to many people throughout the world, especially survivors of the Japanese atrocities. It is also gratuitously provocative.

Honouring the memory of dead citizens who died fighting for their country is a legitimate practice. But war criminals are something else. I would have no problems with Germans remembering their war dead in WW2 but I would object strongly to anyone who honours the memory of Hitler and those convicted of war crimes.

Some people do not deserve to be remembered let alone honoured in memory for their evil deeds. The war criminals of Japan do not deserve to be remembered except for their acts of stupidity that created chaos and sufferings of millions of people. There is a time for forgiveness and reconciliation but sadly, the official Japanese line is blurred on this.

Until the Japanese government can be seen to be sincerely remorseful for its mistakes, Asia should not forget and China is right in protesting the visit. The protest against Japan is symbolic as much as an emotional response form a world that felt the sharp jaws of the evil Japanese monster.

I have a great love for the Japanese people who are among the most peace-loving and gentlest people today. For this reason, their prime minister does them a disservice by his gratuitous rememberance and honouring of convicted war criminals whose memory must evoke nightmares for many Asian people, not to mention the Allied POW soliders who all suffered greatly during that time of madness.

I therefore support the protests against Koizumi's visit this year. While we are to learn to forgive, we must not forget that war criminals deserve their just condemnation and not honour. To remember the evildoers is to give recognition to their evil deeds and that is the crux of any protest.

The Japanese government can do better by apologising once and for all for the mistakes of its militaristic past, denouncing the leaders of the time, and making retribution where possible, especially to the group of victims known as comfort women, who have been shabbily treated by successive Japanese administrations.

Until the demon of war and wrongdoings is purged from the Japanese psyche, history will some day repeat itself if the likes of its outgoing prime minister get into power. With a stretched American ally, a growing interest in joining the army among young Japanese, a region of instability and a huge military budget, Japan is perhaps learning to flex its military muscles again. I hope it is for the right reasons.