South Korea Condemns Prime Minister Takaichi's Yasukuni Shrine Offering
South Korea expressed deep disappointment after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine to mark an autumn festival.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering of evergreen twigs, known as a masakaki, to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Saturday. The offering marked the start of the shrine's three-day autumn festival and was made in her official capacity as prime minister. While Takaichi frequently visited the shrine as a conservative politician, she has not visited the site since taking office on October 21, 2025, and sources indicate she is unlikely to visit during the current festival.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea responded by expressing deep disappointment and regret. The South Korean government stated that such actions glorify Japan's past war of aggression and urged Japanese leaders to demonstrate sincere remorse and face history squarely to establish a future-oriented relationship based on trust.
The Yasukuni Shrine remains a primary source of diplomatic friction between Japan and its neighbors, including China and South Korea. The site honors approximately 2.46 million Japanese war dead, including 14 convicted Class-A war criminals from World War II, leading critics to view the shrine as a symbol of Japanese militarism.
