This photo and caption provided by Adventure Aquarium shows Andria Sannutti of North East Philadelphia reacts to her boyfriend, Eric Large of Washington Township, proposing marriage from inside the Ocean Realm exhibit at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005. Andria, who was quite surprised, said "YES." (AP Photo/Adventure Aquarium, Collen Helf)



Koizumi visits war shrine

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited the Yasukuni Shrine on October 17th, which is "a stereotype of haughty diplomacy". It is shocking that despite strong protests by South Korea and China, as well as their own non-stop criticism in Japan, his visit to the shrine shows his stubbornness and haughtiness. Despite a recent court decision by Osaka High Court that the visits violate Japan's constitutional division, it was "talking to the wall" for him.

He strongly stated, "It's no business of foreign countries". He ignored the criticism by the press of his own country.

Japan invaded and plundered Korea, China, Singapore, the Philippines, as well as other neighboring countries, in the past. In spite of her historical errors, Japan doesn't regret the past, but still deceives other countries diplomatically. That Japan won't admit her past errors can be well shown by Koizumi's visit to the Tokyo shrine, where Class-A war criminals are honored along with the war-dead.

The relationship between South Korea and Japan is getting worse and tensions rise again over Japan's revived claim to the Dokdo islands in the East Sea and because of his visit to the war shrine. A submit between South Korea and Japan scheduled for the end of the year will be cancelled or delayed. In China, they think of his visit to the war shrine as diplomatic provocation and in Singapore and Taiwan, the atmosphere of anti-Japanese feeling rises to its flood-mark.
It is suspected that Japan doesn't care about warm relations with neighboring countries, nor her isolation from other countries.

The visit to the war shrine is just the same as "a grave and serious provocation tantamount to a declaration of war against neighboring countries". Japan has taken low-profile diplomacy with Western countries for a U.N. Security Council seat, while ignoring some neighboring countries. Because of this two-faced attitude, Japan will lose her reputation internationally. South Koreans shouldn't overreact to Japan. Koizumi visits Yasukuni to pray for peace and honor the war dead, but his behavior may lead only to diplomatic isolation of Japan.
/ 입력시간: 2005. 10.19. 08:05