VARIOUS: South Korea and China express anger as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks understanding over his controversial Yasukuni war shrine visit

Record ID: 214133

  • Title: VARIOUS: South Korea and China express anger as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seeks understanding over his controversial Yasukuni war shrine visit
  • Date: 27th December 2013
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (DECEMBER 27, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY CHINESE NATIONAL EMBLEM CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN HUA CHUNYING WALKING IN FOR REGULAR NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN HUA CHUNYING SAYING: "We cannot help but ask, how can a person who is not willing to, not dare to face up to their own history, win the trust of the international community or lead people to believe he is able to play a role in maintaining regional and global peace and stability?" NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 11th January 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA1TBERABK24UWDXDIV1C40K6M2
  • Story Text: South Korean protesters rallied on Friday (December 27) against Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the controversial Yasukuni shrine, seen by critics as a symbol of Japan's wartime aggression.
    Abe visited the shrine on Thursday (December 26), infuriating China and South Korea and prompting concern from the United States about deteriorating ties between the North Asian neighbours. Abe is the first leader in office to pay homage at Yasukuni shrine in the past seven years.
    About 200 anti-Japan protesters gathered in front of Japanese embassy in Seoul and burned Abe's effigy and slashed a Japanese flag.
    "The visit revived militarism, distorted history and caused pain to many victims again. The Southeast Asian countries, the United Nations, the international society and we strongly condemn this kind of act by Japanese Prime Minister Abe," said a protest leader Park Chan-sung.
    The South Korean Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned an Japanese embassy official in Seoul to lodge a protest.
    Abe, a conservative who took office for a second term exactly one year ago, said he did not intend to hurt feelings in neighbouring nations, and he visited the shrine to convey his resolve that people never again suffer the horrors of war.
    "As a leader, praying for the repose of the souls and putting your hands together for those who perished in the war is something which leaders around the world do," Abe said on Friday.
    "It is nothing more than that and I will continue to work hard to sincerely seek understanding for this," added Abe.
    Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also summoned the Japanese ambassador on Thursday (December 26) to convey China's "solemn protest" against Abe's visit to the shrine.
    Chinese newspapers on Friday (December 27) denounced Abe, describing his visit to the Yasukuni Shrine for Japan's war dead as paying homage to "devils" and warning that China could crush "provocative militarism".
    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Abe's visit to the shrine "has already attracted the Chinese people's ire and denunciation".
    "We cannot help asking how can a person who is not willing to, not dare to, face up to their own history, win the trust of the international community or lead people to believe he is able to play a role in maintaining regional and global peace and stability?" Hua told media at a daily briefing in Beijing.
    Tokyo's relations with Beijing and Seoul are already strained by territorial rows and disputes stemming from Japan's wartime occupation of large parts of China and its 1910-1945 colonisation of the Korean peninsula.
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