Presidential Office: "Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Seems to Have Considered Not Visiting Yasukuni Shrine Directly"

Presidential Office: "Yasukuni Shrine Visits Are an Unstoppable Custom... An Issue of Adjusting Practices"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The Presidential Office stated that it seems they have considered not attending in person regarding Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s offering of tribute at the Yasukuni Shrine.

On the 15th, a senior official from the Presidential Office said this to reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office, adding, "While it is the day of liberation and independence for us, for Japan it is the day of defeat in World War II," and "It has become an unstoppable custom for Japanese leadership to pay respects at the Yasukuni Shrine every August 15th in some form."

The official explained, "The issue is how South Korea and Japan communicate regarding the Yasukuni Shrine matter and how to adjust the subsequent practices," adding, "Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs will simply criticize this issue, but regardless of that, South Korea and Japan are having very close dialogues on current issues within a broader framework."

Meanwhile, current Japanese cabinet members visited the Yasukuni Shrine on the same day, marking the third consecutive year of such visits. Prime Minister Kishida personally offered tamagushiryo, or tribute, at the Yasukuni Shrine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed "deep regret over the Japanese government and responsible leaders of the parliament once again offering tribute or repeatedly visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan’s past aggressive wars and enshrines war criminals."