Protests Grow Over Koizumi War Shrine Visit
Protests Grow Over Koizumi War Shrine Visit
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea has joined China in issuing a formal protest over Sunday's surprise visit by the Japanese prime minister to a controversial shrine commemorating his country's war dead.
The visit by Junichiro Koizumi to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo was condemned by many of Japan's Asian neighbors who still hold bitter memories of Japanese wartime atrocities.
In a statement commenting on his latest visit Koizumi said he visited the shrine as part of Japan's spring peace festival. "The purpose of my visit was to sincerely mourn those who gave their lives for their country, abandoning their families against their will, during the course of our country's history since the Meiji Restoration (in 1868)," Koizumi said.
"I think today's peace and prosperity in Japan are based on the sacrifices of the many who lost their precious lives in war."
"The Japanese action can only damage the Japanese image itself and that makes it more difficult for Japan to win Asian peoples' trust on historical problems," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said in a statement.
The Yasukuni Shrine honors about 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including executed criminals such as World War II-era prime minister Hideki Tojo.
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea has joined China in issuing a formal protest over Sunday's surprise visit by the Japanese prime minister to a controversial shrine commemorating his country's war dead.
The visit by Junichiro Koizumi to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo was condemned by many of Japan's Asian neighbors who still hold bitter memories of Japanese wartime atrocities.
In a statement commenting on his latest visit Koizumi said he visited the shrine as part of Japan's spring peace festival. "The purpose of my visit was to sincerely mourn those who gave their lives for their country, abandoning their families against their will, during the course of our country's history since the Meiji Restoration (in 1868)," Koizumi said.
"I think today's peace and prosperity in Japan are based on the sacrifices of the many who lost their precious lives in war."
"The Japanese action can only damage the Japanese image itself and that makes it more difficult for Japan to win Asian peoples' trust on historical problems," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said in a statement.
The Yasukuni Shrine honors about 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including executed criminals such as World War II-era prime minister Hideki Tojo.