Seoul condemns Yasukuni visit as an 'anachronistic act'

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Thursday strongly condemned the Japanese defense minister's tribute at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which Seoul views as glorifying Japan's militaristic past, calling it an "anachronistic act" and unfathomable behavior.

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara's visit to the shrine in Tokyo occurred on the same day Korea commemorated its liberation from Japan’s illegal colonial rule, which lasted from 1910 to 1945.

"Our government expresses deep regret over the anachronistic act of Japan’s Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, who is responsible for Japan's defense and security, visiting the Yasukuni Shrine," the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said in a statement.

"We make it clear that such action can never gain the understanding of neighboring countries that have endured the painful history of foreign invasion," the statement read.

Kim Sang-hoon, director general for Asian and Pacific Affairs at South Korea's Foreign Ministry, summoned Taisuke Mibae, the deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, on Thursday morning to formally "lodge a stern protest on the matter."

Japan's defense ministers have largely refrained from visiting the shrine on Aug. 15, the day Japan marks the anniversary of the end of World War II. On this date in 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan's surrender to the nation via Radio Tokyo.

The most recent instance before Thursday's visit occurred on Aug. 13, 2021, when then-Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, who is the younger brother of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, visited the Yasukuni Shrine.

Seoul also expressed regret over a ritual offering made by the Japanese Prime Minister at the Yasukuni Shrine, as well as the homage paid by ministers and other senior officials by issuing a separate statement.

"The government expresses deep disappointment and regret over the fact that responsible leaders of Japan have once again sent offerings to and paid respects at the Yasukuni Shrine which glorifies Japan's war of aggression and enshrines war criminals," read a commentary issued by the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson.

"The government strongly urges the leaders of Japan to squarely face history and demonstrate through action their humble reflection and sincere remorse for Japan's past history, and once again stresses that this is an important foundation for the development of future-oriented relations between the two countries," the commentary read.

The statement followed reports from Japanese media that Kishida had sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine. Since taking office in 2021, Kishida has refrained from personally visiting the shrine, opting instead to send offerings instead.

However, Economy Minister Yoshitaka Shindo, and Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi among other senior officials paid their respects at Yasukuni Shrine. The visits mark the fifth consecutive year since 2020 that sitting cabinet members have visited the shrine on Aug. 15.

The Yasukuni Shrine honors around 2.5 million Japanese who died in wars from the 19th century onward, including World War II. Controversially, this number includes 1,068 convicted war criminals, among them 14 Class A criminals, such as wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in 1948.

Its critics say the ritual offerings and tributes made by Japanese leaders at Yasukuni Shrine undermine the very principles that facilitated Japan's reintegration into the global community.

Japan rejoined the international community under the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which, in Article 11, states, "Japan accepts the judgments of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and other Allied War Crimes Courts both within and outside Japan."

Furthermore, the Yasukuni Shrine controversially listed around 21,000 Koreans who were forcibly conscripted into the Japanese military during World War II, without the consent of their bereaved families.

The names of Koreans were inscribed in Japanese style, reflecting the forced adoption of Japanese names during the colonial period, under the pretense that they sacrificed themselves for the country as Japanese citizens at the time. The act is widely viewed as an attempt to justify or erase the history of Japan's illegal colonial rule over Korea.