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Fumio Kishida, Yoon Suk-yeol show unity at cenotaph for Korean atomic bomb victims

  • Both leaders and their wives pay tribute to tens of thousands of Koreans who died in the attack 78 years ago
  • Kishida hails the joint visit as ‘very meaningful’ for bilateral ties, while Yoon praises the Japanese leader’s ‘courage’ in visiting the memorial

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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (second from right), South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (second from left) and their wives offer flowers to the cenotaph for Korean victims of the 1945 US atomic bombing of Hiroshima in the Peace Memorial Park on Sunday. Photo: Kyodo
Kyodo
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday became the first leaders of the two Asian neighbours to jointly visit a cenotaph dedicated to Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Kishida, Yoon and their wives walked up to the cenotaph located in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park together, laid white bouquets at the stone memorial and bowed side by side at the site.

The visit was quickly followed by a summit between the two leaders, where they underscored the significance of the occasion.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Kun-hee offer flowers at the cenotaph for the Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima Peace Park on Sunday. Photo: AFP/Bloomberg
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Kun-hee offer flowers at the cenotaph for the Korean atomic bomb victims in Hiroshima Peace Park on Sunday. Photo: AFP/Bloomberg

“I feel that [the visit] was very meaningful for bilateral ties and also in praying for world peace,” Kishida said at the outset of the meeting.

Noting the bilateral summit is the third in two months, Kishida said it was “obvious proof of progress in the Japan-South Korea relationship”.

Yoon said the joint visit to offer condolences to Korean atomic bomb victims “will be remembered as a courageous action by Prime Minister Kishida that paves the way for a peaceful future while expressing grief for the Korean victims of the atomic bombing”.

Yoon also referred to Kishida’s statement made after their previous summit in Seoul earlier this month that his heart “aches” over a wartime labour issue between the two nations, saying the remarks “had touched the heart of South Koreans”.

The two leaders agreed on the joint visit to the memorial during their meeting in Seoul, in another sign of the improvement in bilateral relations.

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