About 70 members of the Japanese National Assembly visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, where Class A war criminals from the Pacific War are enshrined.
According to Kyodo News on the 22nd, about 70 members belonging to the bipartisan group 'Members of the National Assembly Visiting Yasukuni Shrine Together' participated in the visit during the spring festival period at Yasukuni Shrine. This group visits Yasukuni Shrine collectively during the spring and autumn festivals each year, as well as on August 15.
Included among the visiting lawmakers was Hiroyuki Tokashi, who serves as the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications in the Cabinet of Shigeru Ishiba. Former Minister of Economic Security Sanae Takaiichi, who reached the final round in last year's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election, visited individually.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba did not visit the shrine the previous day but offered a ritual offering called 'Masakaki.' While he did not visit, he followed the precedent of previous prime ministers who made offerings. The last time a sitting Japanese prime minister visited Yasukuni Shrine was in 2013 under Shinzo Abe.
Yasukuni Shrine honors the spirits of approximately 2,466,000 people who died in numerous wars initiated by Japan. Nearly 90% of them, about 2,133,000, are related to the Pacific War, with Hideki Tojo being a notable figure.
Meanwhile, our government expressed regret. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a spokesperson's commentary on that day, 'The government expresses deep disappointment and regret that responsible leaders in Japan once again made offerings or visited Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan's past invasive wars and enshrines war criminals.'
It further stated, 'The government urges responsible leaders in Japan to face history and demonstrate humble reflection and genuine remorse for the past through action,' and emphasized, 'This is an important foundation for establishing a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship based on trust between the two countries.'