On April 21, 2024, South Korea voiced strong disapproval over Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit and offering at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, a site that Beijing and Seoul view as a symbol of Japan’s historical military aggression. The shrine commemorates around 2.5 million war dead, including 14 Japanese wartime leaders convicted as war criminals by an Allied tribunal. This action has sparked renewed tensions, as it is not the first time such visits have elicited protests from South Korea and China.
South Korea’s response emphasized the need for Japanese leaders to confront their nation’s wartime history with honesty, humility, and genuine repentance. Seoul sees this as essential groundwork for fostering improved relations between the two countries. Visits to Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese leaders have consistently provoked outrage from both China and South Korea due to the shrine’s association with convicted war criminals alongside other war dead.
Prime Minister Kishida’s recent offering at Yasukuni Shrine has rekindled longstanding sensitivities and disagreements over this contentious issue, highlighting deep-seated historical grievances that continue to strain relations in East Asia. This move, which took place on April 21, 2024, has drawn sharp condemnation from South Korea, which expressed “deep disappointment” over what it sees as a failure by Japanese leaders to address their country’s historical responsibilities.
The Yasukuni Shrine, established in 1869 during Japan’s Meiji era, is intended to honor the souls of those who died in service to their nation. However, the shrine’s legacy is complex, as it also enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals convicted by the Allies after World War II. This duality has made Yasukuni a flashpoint for regional tensions, particularly with South Korea and China.
In response to Kishida’s actions, South Korea urged Japanese leaders to confront history with humility and repentance, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging wartime atrocities as a foundation for improved bilateral ties. Japanese officials, however, defend visits to Yasukuni Shrine as matters of cultural tradition and national identity, asserting that they honor fallen soldiers without endorsing past aggression. For many Japanese citizens, the shrine holds personal significance as a place to mourn loved ones lost in battle.
The incident reflects broader regional dynamics shaped by historical grievances and territorial disputes. The complexities of historical memory pose formidable challenges as each country seeks to assert its national identity and security interests.
