Families of World War II Korean conscripts file lawsuit seeking removal of names from Yasukuni Shrine
Members of the ultra-nationalist group Taikosha bowing during a prayer ritual at Yasukuni Shrine on the 84th anniversary of Japan's Pearl Harbor attack, before departing for a rally in Tokyo, Dec. 8. AFP-Yonhap
Family members of Koreans forcibly conscripted by Japan during World War II have filed a lawsuit seeking the removal of the names of the deceased from a controversial Japanese shrine that also honors several war criminals, civic groups said Tuesday.
Ten descendants of Korean soldiers and civilian employees filed the suit earlier in the day with the Seoul Central District Court, seeking the removal of the names from Yasukuni Shrine, the Center for Historical Truth and Justice and an affiliated civic group said at a press conference.
They are also seeking damages totaling 880 million won ($593,700) from the Japanese government and the entity that manages the shrine.
It is the first time that a lawsuit on the cancellation of enshrinement at Yasukuni Shrine has been filed in a South Korean court.
Yasukuni Shrine, located in central Tokyo, honors some 2.46 million Japanese war dead, including 14 Class A criminals convicted by the Allies in international tribunals for their roles in World War II.
Many Koreans were forcibly mobilized for the Imperial Japanese Army during that time as Korea was under Japan's colonial rule from 1910-45. About 20,000 Koreans are believed to have been enshrined at the shrine.
The shrine is regarded as a symbol of Japan's militaristic past, and regular visits or sending of offerings by Japanese leaders to the shrine has drawn criticism from countries, like South Korea and China.
The plaintiffs say the Japanese government violated their rights by forcibly conscripting the victims, leading to their deaths and by later enshrining them without consent. That has infringed on their dignity as well as their freedom of religion and conscience, they said.
"The enshrinement is not a mere religious rite for the bereaved families, but an act that subsumes the victims into a frame that glorifies Japan's war of aggression," the plaintiffs' legal counsel said.
"Their status as 'war dead for the Emperor,' even though they were driven to their deaths, must be brought to an end so that the families can reclaim the right to remember their loved ones in the manner they choose," the legal counsel said.
Since the enshrinement of Koreans became publicly known in the 1990s, bereaved family members have filed two lawsuits in Japanese courts seeking the cancellation of enshrinement, but both were dismissed on grounds that the statute of limitations expired.
Six Korean family members filed another suit in Japan in September, with the case pending at court. (Yonhap)