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China, S. Korea scrap Japan talks after Shrine visit
(bloomberg.com)
Updated: 2005-10-17 19:49
`Stumbling Block'
South Korea also lodged a complaint with Japanese Ambassador Shotaro Oshima
after today's visit, Koizumi's fifth since taking office.
``The shrine visits are the biggest stumbling block in Korea-Japan ties,''
said South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki Moon after meeting with Oshima in
Seoul. Ban called Yasukuni ``a symbol of colonial Japan, a time which caused
Korea and other Asian nations indescribable pain.''
Wang Yi, China's ambassador to Japan, called the trip a provocation and said
his government opposes such visits, Xinhua News Agency reported. Japan's embassy
in Beijing issued a warning to Japanese nationals in China that Koizumi's visit
to the Tokyo shrine may provoke ``strong reactions'' from the Chinese public,
Kyodo News reported.
About 2.5 million soldiers are enshrined in Yasukuni, which means ``Peaceful
Nation,'' including 14 Class A war criminals from World War II.
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