Justin Bieber says sorry after Japan war shrine trip

Source:AFP Published: 2014-4-24 0:18:02

Justin Bieber said sorry and insisted he loved Japan and China after he stepped into a bitter fight over history by visiting a controversial war shrine in Tokyo.

The troubled Canadian pop prince posted a snap of him Wednesday at Yasakuni Shrine on his Instagram account - tweeting the link to his 51 million Twitter followers - with the message "thank you for your blessings."

The shrine is seen across Asia as a symbol of Japan's perceived lack of penitence for its imperialist past.

An attached museum peddles a view of World War II deemed unpalatable by most mainstream historians, casting Japan as a victim and a frustrated liberator of Asia.

A storm erupted across social media after the posting, with fans lambasting the 20-year-old star for historical ignorance, and even China's foreign ministry suggesting the young singer should educate himself on the issue.

As the story gained traction and was picked up by mainstream media, the picture was removed. Around 13 hours after the original tweet, Bieber issued a mea culpa on his Instagram feed.

"While in Japan I asked my driver to pull over for which I saw a beautiful shrine. I was misled to think the shrines were only a place of prayer. To anyone I have offended I am extremely sorry. I love you China and I love you Japan."

The apology came after irate users flooded social media networks with complaints.

"Hey Justin, do u even know where that is?" wrote Instagram user vivien_kong."

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang, speaking at a regular briefing Wednesday, said he had not been aware of Bieber's visit to the shrine.

But he added, "I hope that this Canadian singer after visiting the Yasukuni Shrine can have a clear understanding of Japan's history of invasion and militarism, and of the source of Japan's militarism."

AFP

Posted in: Asia-Pacific

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