A few days ago, Kayano Ai mentioned in her YouTube video (on a channel that she posts video daily in preparation for her upcoming book) that she went to Yasukuni Shrine. She had previously mentioned that she had a recording job at a studio near the shrine. In her video, she mentioned that there was still time, so she wanted to relax a bit.
Here is an excerpt found on this article.
「まだ時間までもうちょっとあるので、のんびりしています。鳥居をくぐって、ここホントに気持ちがいい場所ですよねえ」「今はコロナの影響で、お清めもあまりちゃんとできなくなっていますが、少しだけ清めさせていただきました。はあ、気持ちいい。空気が澄んでいる感じがします。一緒に会釈しましょう。ん？会釈じゃないね。しっかりお辞儀しましょう」
"There is still a bit of time, so let's relax a bit. Passing under the torii gate, this place is really refreshing." "I haven't been able to cleanse myself properly due to the impact of COVID-19. So let me do just that. Ah, it is so relaxing. The air is so fresh. Let's offer a greeting. Hmm? No, not just a greeting, let's bow properly."
Personally, I think she didn't mean any ill. Yes, it is a famous (infamous) shrine, but its significance is not something that is taught in schools. And Japanese media doesn't give extensive media coverage to the controversial visits by Japanese politicians to the shrine. So the younger generation may not really understand the significance of visiting Yasukuni Shrine. To Kayano, she might have thought of the visit as nothing more than "Oh, there is a big shrine near where I work, let's go take a stroll" just like what she would do if she was working at a studio in another part of town with some other big shrine nearby.
The bigger issue is that the significance of the shrine is lost to younger Japanese. Some may know that it is controversial, but I don't think many really understand the reason behind the controversy. Hopefully, this incident will make the younger generation want to find out more about the controversy around this shrine, and dig deeper into Japan's history.
Update 18 February 2021: Kayano Ai has made an official statement, saying:
「私どもの認識不足によりファンの皆様にご迷惑をお掛けしたことをお詫びいたします」
"I apologize for the trouble caused to fans due to my lack of awareness."
2月11日に公開いたしました「茅野愛衣のむすんでひらいて」第152回につきまして、関係者で検討を重ねた結果、該当の動画を非公開とさせていただきました。
— 茅野愛衣 10周年オフィシャル (@kayanoai_10th) February 17, 2021
私どもの認識不足によりファンの皆様にご迷惑をお掛けしたことをお詫びいたします。
Episode 152, which was the episode when she talked about visiting Yasukuni Shrine, has been taken down from the channel.
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