South Korea's government has expressed regret over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a spokesperson's statement on the 17th that it "once again expresses deep disappointment and regret that Japan's responsible leading figures have yet again sent ritual offerings to or repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies past wars of aggression and enshrines war criminals," according to diplomatic sources on the 18th.
The ministry said it "urges Japan's responsible leaders to face history squarely and to demonstrate through action humble reflection and genuine remorse over the past," adding that it "emphasizes once again that this is an important foundation for building a future-oriented Korea-Japan relationship based on trust between the two countries and their peoples."
Takaichi on the previous day sent an offering known as a masakaki, under the name "Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi," to mark the shrine's autumn festival. The Yasukuni Shrine honors about 2.466 million war dead, including former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, a Class-A war criminal of the Pacific War, along with others killed in wars Japan waged.
Takaichi is expected to refrain from visiting the shrine in person during the autumn festival, which runs for three days from the 17th to the 19th of this month. Since taking office as president of the Liberal Democratic Party in October last year, Takaichi has not visited the Yasukuni Shrine during the spring and autumn festivals or on the anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II on Aug. 15.