Photo by JIJI PRESS / JIJI PRESS / AFP
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited the Yasukuni Shrine on the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, sparking condemnation from China and South Korea.
On August 15, 2569, Reuters news agency reported that Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Saturday (August 15). This coincided with the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, leading China and South Korea to condemn the visit, as both countries viewed the shrine as a symbol of Japanese wartime aggression.
Koizumi visited the shrine dressed in a dark suit and tie, while Kimi Onoda, Japan's Minister of Economic Security, also visited. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who had visited the shrine several times before becoming president, sent offerings instead.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China specify that China strongly condemns Japan's actions regarding the Yasukuni Shrine and has lodged a formal protest with the Japanese government.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry expressed deep regret over the Japanese leader's actions in visiting or sending offerings to shrines, and urged the Japanese leader to confront history and show sincere remorse for past actions.
South Korea specify that Facing history is a fundamental basis for building a forward-looking relationship between the two countries based on trust.
The Yasukuni Shrine commemorates the approximately 2.5 million Japanese war victims, including 14 Japanese wartime leaders convicted of the highest levels of war crimes, and over 1,000 others convicted by Allied tribunals after Japan's defeat in 2488.
Japanese officials have explained that past visits to shrines were personal to commemorate those who died in the country's wars.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the most recent Japanese prime minister to visit the Yasukuni Shrine while in office, a visit that occurred in December 2556 and disappointed the then-US government.
Koizumi has visited the Yasukuni Shrine several times before, including last year while serving as Minister of Agriculture. The last Japanese Prime Minister to visit the shrine on the anniversary of Japan's surrender was his father, Junichiro Koizumi, in 2549.
refer : www.reuters.com
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