On August 15, 2025, hundreds filled the broad walkways of Yasukuni Shrine for the annual commemoration of the official end of World War II. The line moved slowly—but the conversations did not.
Visiting the site for academic research, Ryne Hisada ’27, a Japanese-American student at Yale University, expected a quiet, somber atmosphere in respect for the deceased.
Instead, he found himself surrounded by raised voices. Visitors weren’t whispering about politics, but arguing about it in full volume.