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| Words in the News
Wednesday 08 August 2001
Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find explanations of difficult words below.
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Pressure over Japanese PM's visit to shrine
Summary: Pressure is growing on the Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, to reconsider his decision to visit a controversial war shrine next week. The ruling Liberal Democratic party is increasingly divided with some influential members urging the prime minister to compromise. This report from Charles Scanlon.
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| | The News | |
| | | Mr Koizumi's decision to visit the Yasukuni shrine has stirred up controversy inside the Liberal Democratic Party, as well as in neighbouring countries. Even some nationalistic members of the party are asking him to exercise caution. Some suggest the visit should not go ahead on the anniversary of Japan's surrender, August the fifteenth, to try to lessen its impact.
The Foreign Minister, Makiko Tanaka, has already made plain her opposition to the visit because of the offence it will cause in China and South Korea. The Yasukuni shrine honours Japanese war dead including convicted war criminals and is seen as a symbol of Japanese militarism.
Peace groups, including some members of a veterans association, have been protesting outside Mr Koizumi's official residence. They say an official visit to the shrine would violate the constitutional separation of state and religion. But the prime minister has received vocal support from some conservatives. Three members of his cabinet say they will also visit the shrine. And forty members of parliament have formed an association to support him.
CHARLES SCANLON, BBC, TOKYO
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| | The Words
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| | | shrine
a place that people visit because it is connected with a holy event or religion.
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| | | stirred up controversy
caused a lot of discussion and argument.
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| | | to exercise caution
to be very careful.
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| | | made plain
said something very clearly, made obvious.
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| | | convicted war criminals
people who have been found guilty of committing crimes - in this case crimes committed during the 2nd World War.
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| | | militarism
strong belief in, or support for, the armed services (army, navy, air force).
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| | | veteran’s association
an organisation of people who used to be members of the armed forces.
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| | | violate
break a law, a promise, an agreement.
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| | | constitutional separation
in Japan the laws of the country say that the government and religion should always be separate.
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