May 12, 2005

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url: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-japan-holiday.html

Japan Names Holiday After World War II Emperor
By REUTERS

OKYO (Reuters) - Japan's parliament on Friday renamed a national holiday to honor World War II Emperor Hirohito, a move likely to spark opposition from China and others who view the late monarch as a symbol of militarism.

Ties with China have been strained in recent months over a number of issues, including government approval of a history textbook that critics say whitewashes Japan's aggression in Asia before and during the war.

The April 29 holiday, which marked Hirohito's birthday during his reign, was called ``Green Day'' after the monarch's death, a reference to his interest in biology.

According to a bill passed by parliament, the holiday will now be renamed ``Showa Day.'' Showa, or Enlightened Peace, is the Japanese name for Hirohito's 1925-1989 reign.

Two previous attempts to rename the holiday failed.

The bill says the new holiday is a day during which ``thoughts should be given to the future of the nation, while reflecting on the period of Showa during which turbulent days were experienced and reconstruction achieved.''

Japan's imperial army conquered much of Asia in Hirohito's name, committing widespread atrocities that many ordinary Japanese -- and the country's East Asian neighbors -- still find hard to forgive.

Discussions of the bill slowed after it was approved by the more powerful lower house of parliament early in April, apparently out of concern that renaming the holiday would worsen already tense relations, Kyodo news agency said.

Anti-Japanese feelings in China erupted in violent demonstrations in April as relations worsened to their lowest level in decades, though a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao toward the end of the month helped ease tensions.