S. Korea upbraids Tokyo on Yasukuni

Seoul expressed displeasure Thursday over visits by Japanese politicians to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo, calling the act “extremely regrettable” and demanding its neighbor face up to its past atrocities.

Two Japanese Cabinet members — Transport Minister Yuichiro Hata and Postal Reform Minister Mikio Shimoji — visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors among other war dead, prominent war criminals from World War II, earlier in the day, along with 67 other politicians.

The visits “are not considerate of the feelings of the people of neighboring countries that suffered from Japan’s imperialism” and are “extremely regrettable” foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young said during a briefing. “We urge the responsible Japanese politicians to humbly face up to history.”

The group visit came a day after Shinzo Abe, the leader of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party and potential next leader of the country, visited the same site, sparking concerns that increasing nationalism in Japan could pose a challenge to bilateral ties.

Tensions have been high amid Tokyo’s increasing rhetoric over Korea’s Dokdo Islets, which it claims as its territory. Seoul views the claim — as well as the shrine visits — as tied to Japan’s colonial legacy.

The visit raised concerns that Japanese politicians, facing a host of challenges at home, could continue to stir nationalist sentiment by increasing statements of sovereignty over Dokdo. Tokyo is also embroiled in a spat with Beijing over an archipelago in the East China Sea. China media also expressed displeasure over the shrine visits.

The wrangling has taken a toll on bilateral relations: Seoul recently announced that it would let an expanded currency swap with Tokyo expire over the row.

Japan has seen its auto sales diminish here while Korea has seen a drop in Japanese tourism.

Abe has raised concerns over historical issues in the past, denying in 2007 the Japanese military’s involvement in forcing Korean and other women into sexual slavery during World War II and suggesting that an apology over the practice be nullified.

The regional rumbling was triggered in part by President Lee Myung-bak’s surprise trip to the Dokdo Islets in August, which ignited an angry reaction in Japan — despite a bump in Lee’s popularity here. Tokyo, then took the previously privately-held islands it calls Senkaku into public ownership, touching off the rancorous argument with Beijing. <The Korea Times/Kim Young-jin>