Japan’s Kyodo News Apologizes for False Report of Yasukuni Visit; LDP Lawmaker Akiko Ikuina Did Not Visit Shrine in August 2022

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:04 JST, November 26, 2024

Kyodo News mistakenly reported that Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Akiko Ikuina visited Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15, 2022, when she was not actually there, the news agency said Monday.

The report was said to have impacted Japan-South Korea diplomacy. Ikuina is a member of the House of Councillors and a parliamentary vice foreign minister.

“We released the article without confirming with the person [Ikuina] herself,” Kyodo News said. “We deeply apologize for this matter and will strive to prevent a recurrence.”

Ikuina visited the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Sado Island Gold Mines in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, on Sunday and paid tribute at a memorial ceremony to all the miners, including those from the Korean Peninsula. Representatives from the South Korean government did not attend the ceremony, instead holding their own memorial service on Monday.

The claim that Ikuina had visited Yasukuni Shrine in the past spread for a while in South Korea, which may have influenced Seoul’s decision about not going to the ceremony on Sunday.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said Monday that it has acknowledged Kyodo News’ correction. Regarding the reason for its absence, the ministry said the content of the ceremony did not meet the level that South Korea agreed to when it sanctioned the mines’ registration as a World Heritage site.

Japan has tried not to let South Korea’s attitude affect the improving Japan-South Korea relationship.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters Monday that Japan asked South Korea “to carefully consider and respond to” the circumstances surrounding their decision to not attend the ceremony and hold an independent event instead.

However, Hayashi also stressed that it was necessary for the two countries to work closely together.