Seoul demands apology over Yasukuni before summit

  SEOUL (Kyodo) South Korea will not hold a summit with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi unless he apologizes for his recent visit to Yasukuni Shrine and pledges not to pay homage there again while he is still in office, a Seoul newspaper reported Monday.
"(We will) not hold a summit (with Japan) while Prime Minister Koizumi is in office unless the Japanese government take measures to assuage the uncomfortable feelings of neighboring countries like (South) Korea and China," the Hankook Ilbo quoted a senior South Korean official as saying.

"Japanese leaders should realize they should pay the price if they behave irresponsibly," the unnamed official reportedly said.

Koizumi has said he will step down next September when his tenure as president of the Liberal Democratic Party expires.

South Korea reacted strongly to Koizumi's Oct. 17 visit to the shrine. It was his fifth visit since taking office in 2001.

Yasukuni Shrine honors war criminals along with the nation's war dead. Leaders of Asian countries invaded and occupied by Japan before and during World War II regard the shrine as symbolizing unrepentant Japanese militarism and consider Koizumi's repeated visits to it as insensitive and insulting.

South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun's chief spokesman said later in the day Roh may cancel his scheduled visit to Japan in December, which was to follow up on Koizumi's visit to South Korea earlier this year.

Situation doesn't allow us to say the president's visit to Japan is being considered," the presidential spokesman said.

He also questioned whether a bilateral meeting will be held under the auspices of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in the South Korean city of Pusan next month.

Meanwhile, South Korean officials said Monday that Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Ban Ki Moon will visit Japan this week as scheduled, reversing his earlier announced cancellation of the trip following Koizumi's visit to the shrine.

Ban will visit Japan from Thursday to Saturday to meet with government officials, including Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura.

Two days after Koizumi latest visit to the shrine, Ban told reporters, "Under the current situation, it is not proper to push ahead with a plan to visit Japan."

His visit may be used to underscore Seoul's opposition to Koizumi's visits to the shrine and to pave the way for a Koizumi-Roh summit.

Before Koizumi's shrine visit, Ban had been expected to hold talks with Machimura to discuss matters of bilateral concern and the December summit.


Seoul calm: Koizumi
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Monday he believes South Korea is level-headed about his latest visit to Yasukuni Shrine.
"I think it is level-headed," Koizumi told reporters at his office regarding Seoul's response, after hearing from his political ally Taku Yamasaki earlier in the day about his trip last Thursday to South Korea.

"Friendship between Japan and South Korea has not changed," Koizumi said, though South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong Young lodged another strong protest with Yamasaki against the prime minister's shrine visit.

Chung told Yamasaki on Thursday it is difficult for South Korea and Japan to maintain "normal" relations if the Yasukuni issue is left unresolved.

The Japan Times: Oct. 25, 2005

Well then the japan should really do a better of job of burying soldiers and criminals in separate cemeteries shouldn't they.

Thats the fault of there government and justifies korea's request for an apology.

If you want us to stop getting on his a** so much why don't you yourself go to japan and dig up those war criminal losers and throw them in a dumpsite so we could all move on and not be offended everytime he goes to this shrine.

For your information I am chinese my japanese sister.

If your shinto religion does indeed justiy these visits to murders then its the religion that is arrogant not us.

like to see how emotional some japanese people would get if I poked fun at the Atomic bombings your country suffered?

Would that also be emotionalism and pure ignoance on my part or yours?

You say the shrine is a holy place. Im curious as to know its a holy place for what low life scum and murdeurs who are complete scum and trash!

Personally I don't think Koizumi should apologise, however the names of the war criminals should be removed.

Ban to Visit

some pragmatism as news.

btw, i think the japanese are being alittle hard headed on this issue.

For your information I am chinese my japanese sister. If your shinto religion does indeed justiy these visits to murders then its the religion that is arrogant not us. I like to see how emotional some japanese people would get if I poked fun at the Atomic bombings your country suffered? Would that also be emotionalism and pure ignoance on my part or yours?

You say the shrine is a holy place. Im curious as to know its a holy place for what low life scum and murdeurs who are complete scum and trash!

I guess thats true since your really chinese anyways!

There is no difference whatsoever. Why is it so hard for the government to bury them in a different location. You don't see hitler being buried next to the pope do you? More excuses from you!! Not surprised.

You mean our kind right ogumo-homo your chinese remember. Our behavior is godly compared to some peoples behavior from WW2. But you would probably know more about that then I would right Ogumo? Whats the least bit surprising to me is what your saying mr sake man.

Lol contradiction. You mean to tell you its alright for you to do it but for us to do the same it would be emotionalism and ignorance sure there buddy

If what you say is true then heaven in japanese religion must be a pretty easy place to get into.

My suggestion to you would be to get facts straight and stop trying to deny the fact that your ancestors were killers.

I've got a straight head on my shoulders but if chinese people are truly overly emotional then you must be overly ignorant.

Look at it like this if you really can't live with the fact that you could never beat us you could always pull a samurai on your a** and chop your head off. Thats where all the glory is right?

And what is the Japanese solution to all this enmity?

First of all, the Japanese should, of course, not pay so much attention to Korea and China.  I don't see why you guys care so much.  But if you want to make it up, perhaps Japan should be more thorough in its educational policies. 

If what Zezise said was true, the lack of attitude and emotional response to all this is related to education, then if the Japanese incorporate it into their curriculum, and the Japanese show a real honest attitude towards what has happened, then that should be enough for the Chinese to, at the very least, settle down. 

I don't even see the need for an official apology.  The best apology is implied and felt, not stated.  I'm sure the Japanese need to save face or whatever. 

However, because the event is so big (maybe not to the Japanese, but to the Chinese), I doubt the Chinese will instantly become the Japanese best friends, and it's possible that relationships won't improve drastically, but at the very least, there will be less protests.

^ I've changed my opinions and views on this.

I really don't see Japan as anything anymore, just another country. 

I think the best part solution for China is to refocus on its own development.  I see Japan as neither a friend, nor a country that requires the attention of the Chinese. 

Perhaps there is bad blood, but it's best to just ignore it. 

The US is imperialistic and out to get China, but it has never done as much damage as the Japanese have done.  The Chinese, however, are choosing not to engage them either.  That's what the Soviets did, and China doesn't want to bother with that.  The US can bark behind the fence all it wants. 

The Chinese just need to refocus on itself than on other people.  It can't base it's future on the hatred between China and Japan.  Obviously we're pissed, but this is emotional, not logical. 

In any case, the Japanese are not really obligated to do anything.  China, at least the CCP, is not pressuring the Japanese to do anything, and it's up to the Japanese to decide how they want to approach this problem.  Even if there is a heartfelt apology, the best the relationship between Japan and China can be is a silent acknowledgement.  I don't see China and Japan becoming brothers anytime soon. 

I don't really care if Japan is rearmed.  China shouldn't tell Japan what to do in any matter.  But...if Japan does something that seems remotely like what happened 60 years ago, most likely China will overreact.

But of course due to the hate, China objects to a re armed Japan , so America gets to keep its military on Japanese shores.

Now a Re armed Japan even a strongly armed one would never attack China because China would destroy Japan back,.

But say Bush got it into his head to commit a nuclear strike on China, he would quite happily use Japan to launch this strike knowing that any strike back would be aimed at Japan not America...

So you see? Chinas hate towards Japan and its desire to see Japan kept in its place blinds it to the more realistic enemy...

Japan's government is very deceitful. I mean, history explains that. They even joined forces with the Nazis! Just because they seem to be very peaceful, it doesn't mean they have no intent. They sure as hell wanna be the powerful country they once had their hearts on.

This is the second time Ive been accused of being chinese. I am curious as to why you would suggest this.



As I said before there are not bodies there. As for your hitler comparison I was waiting for it. You would never see it because those were europeans and their religion is different from ours. It's that simple.



Ogumo-homo. If you want to insult be more original. Using insults to take the conversation into another direction because you know you have been backed into the corner. Once again you are showing the typical behavior that you are all capable of. My point here is finished.

..

Hardly chinese man. I explained the difference to you. If you want to talk about hiprocracy simply look at your own country. Even the koreans are better in that regard...



There is not shinto heaven.



In one breath I am chinese. In the next I am a japanese murderer. You are very indecisive. However I belive you were simply trying to get yourself out of a corner with your previous attempts. Using your logic your ancestors are murderers as well. The only thing is they specialized in killing their own people. Not that I give a damn.



Yes youve done a good job of proving that in this thread now havent you. 



Now that was cute. Keep it up chinese man.

"Japan has changed a lot, besides even the nationlists like Ogumo are aware that repeating the mistakes of the past would be a very self destructive mistake too make..."

^Your blind if you truly believe that Ogumo is aware. This is nothing more then a game to him. If you honestly believe that Ogumo is against those that try to whitewash history then your mistaken. Have you read what he wrote to me. In response to what you said earlier Im not descending on his level at all if I was I'd be going on a killing rampage in japan. So please don't try to label me as resorting to desperate tactics just because of the insults because you know what he started with the name calling first by calling me "Mr chinese man" and if you don't believe me you can check it yourself.

The same can be said about the koreans.

i tend to agree with you mushy.  but as always, korea is in a development mode and the rhetoric is predictably pubescent.  perhaps they'll improve their insults and put downs in the future?

Apology is too much. I agree that removing the names of the war criminals would be VERY VERY good. It would probably improve relations a LOT. Then it would be known to the citizens of China and Korea that these visits are just for recognizing the soldiers that fought for Japan, not the criminals.

Also the textbook changes and such would be a + as well.

there is a very fine line between the soldiers who fought for japan and for criminals. most japanese soldiers in china and korea probably did some sort of criminal acts such as rape or killing civilians.

the shrine should not even exist. they are honoring soldiers who fought in a war of aggression.