It was reported that Prime Minister Abe donated a tree called Bitsugi to the shrine since the start of the spring festival on Apr. 21.

Deputy Prime Minister Aso, the Minister of General Affairs, the Minister in charge of "Abduction Issue", the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary and other high-ranking officials paid a group visit to the shrine.

Abe's tree donation, to say nothing of the ministers' visits, sparked off strong criticism at home and abroad.

It was Abe who openly revealed his intention to re-examine the statements made by Murayama and Kono who admitted Japan's past crimes early in February last. It was again Abe who jabbered that he deeply regretted for failing to visit the shrine during his previous office.

Observers said that Abe donated the tree to the shrine just as he did in 2007 when he was in the office, shelving his visit to it in consideration of public opinion.

What Abe did is now touching off bitterer resentment than his visit to the shrine in the light of the place to which the donation was made, the timing for it and its poisonous meaning despite his cunning artifice.

Abe's approach to Yasukuni Shrine which keeps mortuary tablets of top-class Japanese criminals who got ill fames in their aggression against Asian countries and mass-killings in the past constitutes a crucial issue concerning the attitude towards those people of the countries which fell victim to Japan and its crimes in the past.

That is why the international community is very sensitive to the issues related to the shrine.

The spring festival at the shrine and an endless donation of such tree is not a simple issue concerning the donation of the tree during spring tree planting season.

This brought into bolder relief the black-hearted intention of the Abe Cabinet to make the roots of militarization struck invariably and more deeply in all fabrics of Japan's society with Yasukuni Shrine, symbol of aggression and massacre, as a base.

Everything from education to details of traditional etiquette, to say nothing of the prime minister's activities and operation of the cabinet and the Diet, is geared to embellishing Japan's past crimes and inciting militarization. This is the present reality of Japan.

To zealously spread the fascist culture in Japan through visits to the shrine is a reckless action to embark again upon the road of reinvasion by calling back the departed soul of the militarists. This is an intolerable insult and a wanton challenge to Korea and other Asian countries. It is little short of driving Japan into a historic misfortune.

The culture of war and fascism forced on Japan is leaving it further isolated and marginalized by other Asian countries and the international community.

Personages of different social standings of Japan including the representative of the New Komeito Party expressed dissatisfaction that "it is impossible to escape adverse diplomatic impact no matter how hard Abe may explain." They urged his cabinet to make a cautious response, holding that "it is an important factor in politics to pursue diplomacy not to hurt the process for improving relations with neighboring countries."

The way to Yasukuni Shrine leads to militarization and this will push Japan to self-destruction.

The venomous roots of militarism struck at Yasukuni Shrine will stretch out like a serpent to the whole Japanese society and swallow it up.