SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Saturday expressed its deep regret over Japanese leaders' offerings and visits to the notorious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, a symbol of the militaristic and colonial past of Japan.
South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement that the government cannot but deplore the fact that responsible leaders of Japan once again forgot history and repeated anachronistic acts by sending offerings to or paying tributes at the Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan's past wars of aggression and enshrines war criminals.
The ministry strongly urged Japanese leaders to squarely face up to history and demonstrate their humble reflection and sincere remorse for Japan's history through actions, stressing that it will be an important foundation for building a future-oriented relationship between the two countries based on mutual trust.
While refraining from visiting the shrine in person, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual cash offering in her capacity as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to mark the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, alongside other cabinet members and LDP lawmakers, proceeded with direct visits to pay homage to the notorious shrine, which honors about 2.5 million war dead, including 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II.
Visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese officials to the shrine consistently sparked criticism and hurt the feelings of the people of China, South Korea and other countries brutalized by Japan during the war. ■
