Suga draws criticism from South Korea, China
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has infuriated South Korea and China again, this time by sending an offering to the Yasukuni Shrine for the first time since taking office last month. Suga cannot avoid criticism from international society as well as Seoul and Beijing because the shrine also honors 14 Class A war criminals.
Suga had refrained from visiting or sending offerings to the shrine while serving as Japan's chief cabinet secretary for more than seven years. With this action, Suga might have attempted to garner support from right-wing voters, the power base of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), following in the footsteps of his predecessor Shinzo Abe who sent offerings annually.
Abe triggered strong reactions from South Korea and China in 2013 by visiting the shrine in person to pay tribute to the war dead. At that time, the United States also expressed "disappointment" over Abe's action.
Suga's move is very disappointing as it shows he has no sincere intention to mend ties with Japan's neighbors, particularly South Korea. Suga earlier sparked anger here by demanding Seoul nullify its Supreme Court's ruling ordering Japanese firms to pay compensation to surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor. He even threatened not to attend a three-way summit among South Korea, China and Japan slated for later this year unless Seoul accepted his "request."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed "deep regret over Japan's government officials and politicians paying their respects at the Yasukuni Shrine which glorifies Japan's past imperialism," in a statement Saturday. The ministry urged Japan to face up to history squarely and reflect on its past misdeeds in a humble and genuine manner.
The Chinese government also criticized Suga's move. "The Yasukuni Shrine symbolizes militarism of Japan which made invasions in the past. It has been a spiritual tool for imperialism. Bestowing offerings to the shrine reflects a wrong attitude over the invasion history," it said in a statement. It called on Japan to act first to obtain trust from Asian countries and the international community.
Suga expressed the hope of mending ties with Seoul and Beijing in a statement during an inaugural press conference. "I want to maintain stable relations with neighboring countries," he said.
On Sunday, Rep. Lee Nak-yon, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, met with Takeo Kawamura, a lawmaker and close confidant of Suga, to discuss pending issues, including the trilateral summit. It is fortunate they agreed to collaborate with each other to find a solution though they have yet to come up with specific measures toward that end. Lee expressed regret over Suga's sending of offerings to the shrine while Kawamura said he would convey such criticism to Suga.
Should Suga want to improve ties with Seoul, he needs to change his apparently inappropriate view of history to one with a more open and future-oriented attitude and come to the dialogue table without any preconditions.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has infuriated South Korea and China again, this time by sending an offering to the Yasukuni Shrine for the first time since taking office last month. Suga cannot avoid criticism from international society as well as Seoul and Beijing because the shrine also honors 14 Class A war criminals.
Suga had refrained from visiting or sending offerings to the shrine while serving as Japan's chief cabinet secretary for more than seven years. With this action, Suga might have attempted to garner support from right-wing voters, the power base of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), following in the footsteps of his predecessor Shinzo Abe who sent offerings annually.
Abe triggered strong reactions from South Korea and China in 2013 by visiting the shrine in person to pay tribute to the war dead. At that time, the United States also expressed "disappointment" over Abe's action.
Suga's move is very disappointing as it shows he has no sincere intention to mend ties with Japan's neighbors, particularly South Korea. Suga earlier sparked anger here by demanding Seoul nullify its Supreme Court's ruling ordering Japanese firms to pay compensation to surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor. He even threatened not to attend a three-way summit among South Korea, China and Japan slated for later this year unless Seoul accepted his "request."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed "deep regret over Japan's government officials and politicians paying their respects at the Yasukuni Shrine which glorifies Japan's past imperialism," in a statement Saturday. The ministry urged Japan to face up to history squarely and reflect on its past misdeeds in a humble and genuine manner.
The Chinese government also criticized Suga's move. "The Yasukuni Shrine symbolizes militarism of Japan which made invasions in the past. It has been a spiritual tool for imperialism. Bestowing offerings to the shrine reflects a wrong attitude over the invasion history," it said in a statement. It called on Japan to act first to obtain trust from Asian countries and the international community.
Suga expressed the hope of mending ties with Seoul and Beijing in a statement during an inaugural press conference. "I want to maintain stable relations with neighboring countries," he said.
On Sunday, Rep. Lee Nak-yon, chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, met with Takeo Kawamura, a lawmaker and close confidant of Suga, to discuss pending issues, including the trilateral summit. It is fortunate they agreed to collaborate with each other to find a solution though they have yet to come up with specific measures toward that end. Lee expressed regret over Suga's sending of offerings to the shrine while Kawamura said he would convey such criticism to Suga.
Should Suga want to improve ties with Seoul, he needs to change his apparently inappropriate view of history to one with a more open and future-oriented attitude and come to the dialogue table without any preconditions.
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