Government expresses “deep disappointment” over Takaichi’s offering at Yasukuni Shrine

[Financial News] The government expressed deep disappointment and regret over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s offering of a tribute at Yasukuni Shrine. It called on Japanese leaders to face the history of past aggression and demonstrate genuine remorse through their actions.
On the 17th, the Foreign Ministry said in a spokesperson’s statement, “We once again express deep disappointment and regret that senior Japanese officials in positions of responsibility have again offered tributes or repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan’s past wars of aggression and enshrines war criminals.”
On this day, Prime Minister Takaichi made an offering in the form of a potted plant, known as a “masakaki,” in the name of “Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan,” for the Autumn Grand Festival, which began at Yasukuni Shrine.
Yasukuni Shrine enshrines about 2,466,000 people who died in Japan’s civil wars, wars of aggression and other conflicts. About 2,133,000 of them were associated with the Pacific War; they include former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who was convicted as a Class A war criminal by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.
The government once again stressed the importance of Japanese leaders’ understanding of the past and their actions in building trust between the two countries. The Foreign Ministry said, “Our government calls on responsible Japanese leaders to face history and demonstrate through their actions humble reflection on historical issues and genuine remorse,” adding, “We once again stress that this is an important foundation for building future-oriented Korea-Japan relations based on trust between our countries and our peoples.”

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