Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, on the first day of his visit to Korea on the 7th, laid flowers and worshiped. It is the first time in 12 years that a sitting Japanese prime minister has visited the National Cemetery since former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in October 2011.
Prime Minister Kishida, along with his wife, First Lady Yuko, Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara, Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Aiboshi, and Korean Ambassador to Japan Yoon Deok-min, burned incense, laid flowers, and paid their respects to Korean martyrs. Prime Minister Kishida laid a wreath with a wreath in the name of ‘Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida’. After visiting the shrine, I signed a guestbook with an English phrase that read, “His Excellency Fumio Kishida’s visit to Korea, Japan’s Prime Minister.”
zoom inJapanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who started his visit to Korea at the Seoul National Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 7th, left a signature in the guestbook after visiting the shrine. 2023. 5. 7 Photo Collaboration Foundation/There have been six times in history that a Japanese prime minister has visited the National Cemetery, starting with former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone in 1983. Former Prime Ministers Shinzo Abe (2006) and Taro Aso (2009) also visited the National Cemetery while in office. Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama visited the Daejeon National Cemetery in 2010 and paid tribute to the graves of 46 soldiers who were oxidized in the Cheonan ship and the graves of the late Warrant Officer Han Ju-ho.
A Japanese government official said, “It is natural for the head of a country to visit a memorial facility in a visiting country and express respect for the lives of many people related to that country’s history.” want,” he said.
Kyodo News reported, “It is customary for foreign heads of state visiting Korea to pay their respects at this graveyard.” Some interpret that it is intended to show the strengthening of security cooperation between Korea, the U.S. and Japan, as many of the martyrs buried at the memorial are warriors from the Korean War.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.