Japanese politicians' Yasukuni Shrine visits draw opposition in Japan, South Korea

Japanese peace advocates and South Korean lawmakers expressed strong opposition and regret on Saturday over a monetary offering and visits by Japanese politicians to Yasukuni Shrine, a symbol of Japanese militarism and wartime aggression, on the 81st anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender in World War II.

Atsushi Kouketsu, an emeritus professor at Yamaguchi University, told Xinhua that Yasukuni Shrine is "a shrine of aggression" and a breeding ground for militarist ideology.

He said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has visited the shrine on multiple occasions in the past, sent a dangerous political signal by making the ritual offering as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), signaling the ruling establishment's endorsement of the ideological roots of Japan's past wars of aggression.

This reflects a further rightward shift in Japanese politics that warrants a high level of vigilance, Kouketsu said.

Visits by Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and other politicians to Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan's wars of aggression, desecrate the memory of those who died in the war, the Aichi Prefectural Peace Committee stated. The committee urged Japanese political leaders to face up to Japan's responsibility for its wartime aggression.

In South Korea, Jeon Su-mi, a spokesperson for the ruling Democratic Party, criticized the visits by Japanese officials and LDP lawmakers as an "anachronistic provocation," calling them "reckless acts" based on "twisted patriotism," Yonhap reported.

Kim Dae-sik of the main opposition People Power Party, who is known for his close ties with Japan, voiced "deep regret," saying Koizumi's shrine visit is an act that undermines mutual trust between the two countries.

"Japan's responsible leaders should face the history of its aggression and show true remorse through actions, not words," Kim wrote on Facebook.

(With input from agencies)