Justin Bieber has apologized for visiting and taking pictures at the
Yasukuni war shrine in Japan, saying he didn’t know of the shrine’s history.
The Yasukuni shrine, founded by Emperor Meiji, was originally built
to commemorate individuals who had died in service of the Empire of Japan
during the Meiji Restoration, but now honors over 2.5 million people dead from
various wars.
The Yasukuni shrine is also a touchy subject to fellow Asian
countries China & South Korea who see it as a symbol of Japan’s past
militarism and see visits to it as a lack of understanding or remorse over
wartime history.
Bieber had posted pictures of himself praying outside the shrine and
standing beside a priest, attracting fierce criticism from Asia.
In a new Instagram post Wednesday evening, Bieber said he asked his
driver to stop when he saw the shrine.
“I was mislead to think the Shrines were only a place of prayer. To
anyone I have offended I am extremely sorry,” the post said.
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