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An offering tree sent to Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sits at the resting place for Japanese Class A war criminals on April 21, 2024. (Yonhap)

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “deep disappointment and regret” over Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s sending of a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, where Class A war criminals are enshrined, on Sunday.
 
The ministry issued a statement through its spokesperson which read, “Responsible leaders of Japan have once again sent offerings to and paid respects at the Yasukuni Shrine which glorifies Japan’s war of aggression and enshrines war criminals.”
 
The ministry added that the South Korean government “strongly urges the leaders of Japan to squarely face history, and demonstrate through action their humble reflection and sincere remorse for Japan’s past history,” emphasizing that doing so would be an “important foundation for the development of a future-oriented South Korea-Japan relations.”

Kishida sent, under his name, a ceremonial offering called “masakaki” on the first day of the shrine’s annual spring rites. A masakaki is an object made with sakaki tree branches and is placed on a shrine’s altar. 

After his inauguration as prime minister in 2021, Kishida has not visited the Yasukuni Shrine in person but has sent offerings on multiple occasions. The last time a sitting prime minister visited the shrine was in December 2013, when Shinzo Abe paid his respects there.

By Shin Hyeong-cheol, staff reporter

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