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SEOUL / TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan has decided not to participate in an international review of the South Korean fleet next week after Seoul has asked Tokyo not to fly its "Rising Sun" flag on a warship , said Friday the Japanese Defense Minister last spat between the two sides.
Sailors lay down the flag of the Japanese Navy after a flag-down ceremony on the deck of the Japanese Kaga helicopter carrier anchored near the Jakarta harbor before her departure for naval exercises in the Indian Ocean, Indonesia, September 21, 2018. REUTERS / Kim Kyung-Hoon
Japan's relations with South and North Korea have been strained for a long time by the persistent resentment of its colonization of Korea from 1910 to 1945, its territorial conflicts and the question of Korean girls and women forced to work in the country. brothels of Japan during the war.
Japan's decision comes after South Korea has asked participating countries this week not to fly a flag at the front or the back of their ships, the minister of defense said. Takeshi Iwaya Defense.
"With regard to the Maritime Self Defense Force's sign, the national laws and regulations stipulate that it must be hoisted to the stern," Iwaya said. "Unfortunately, we made the decision not to drop the participation."
Many people in the two Koreas see the red and white flag as the symbol of Japan's past military aggression and colonization.
"The" Rising Sun "flag is a war crime flag that Japanese imperialists of the 20th century used to execute their barbarian invasions in our country and in other Asian countries," said the Uriminjokkiri website, controlled by the state.
"Planning to enter by flying the" Rising Sun "flag is an insulting insult and a ridicule for our people."
In South Korea, articles on controversy are among the most read articles on social media. The president's office has received 250 petitions demanding that the Japanese vessel be banned.
On Friday, the South Korean Navy said the Japanese navy ships were flying the flag when they participated in the fleet exams in 1998 and 2008, but she asked all the ships at this year's event. display the national and South Korean flags.
The "Rising Sun" flag, used by the Japanese Imperial Navy during campaigns in Asia and the Pacific before and during the Second World War, was adopted by the Maritime Self-Defense Force in 1954.
Flag variations are used by the Earth's self-defense force and the fatigues of some Japanese sailors, but some South Koreans liken it to Nazi symbols such as the swastika.
Before Iwaya's comment, the highest-ranking uniformed officer in Japan had indicated that he was helping out.
"The lifting of the flag of the maritime self-defense forces is required by law," Katsutoshi Kawano, chief of staff of the self-defense forces, told Katsuto Thursday.
"The members are proud of the flag, and we will never go there without a flag."
The South Korean Foreign Ministry has "stated that we were of the opinion that the Japanese side should fully take into account the emotional connotation of the flag of the rising sun to our people," said the Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-wha.
Japan has played a key role in the United States' efforts to isolate and punish North Korea for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
Relations between the United States and North Korea have warmed since the summit held in Singapore in June. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that he was optimistic that a visit to Pyongyang this weekend would help advance North Korea's denuclearization.
Japan and South Korea often exchange excitement over controversial islands known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in Korea.
Announcing Japan's decision not to participate in the fleet review, Iwaya said defense cooperation between Tokyo and Seoul remained extremely important.
Additional report by Tim Kelly to TOKYO; Additional writing by Linda Sieg in Tokyo; Edited by Nick Macfie
