Ex-Japanese diplomat calls for former emperor to visit S. Korea, resolve tensions

While the former ambassador to Lebanon said that Akihito wanted to visit Korea during his reign, the likelihood of a visit coming now is slim

Naoto Amaki, the former Japanese ambassador to Lebanon (screen capture from Facebook)

Naoto Amaki, a former Japanese ambassador to Lebanon, suggested a visit to South Korea by former Japanese Emperor Akihito as a way of resolving persistent issues in relations between the two sides.

Speaking with a local correspondent from a South Korean newspaper in Tokyo on Monday, Amaki noted that Akihito had “emphasized during his 30 years [on the throne] that Japan needs to reflect on its past wars of aggression and regard them as an object lesson so that it can be a country that never again wages war.”

Explaining that Akihito “wanted to visit South Korea” during his reign but was unable to, Amaki predicted that if he does visit now, he will stress the importance of South Korea-Japan relations and apologize for events in history.

Akihito stepped down as emperor in 2019, passing the title on to his son, Naruhito. In 2005, Akihito made a surprise visit to the Korean Peace Memorial on the island of Saipan, and in 2007 he attended the screening of a film commemorating Lee Soo-hyun, a South Korean who died while rescuing a Japanese person who had fallen onto a subway track in Tokyo in 2001.

Based on that history, some news reports suggested the possibility that he might visit South Korea after stepping down from the throne. But the prevailing view, for now, is that the prospect is very unlikely.

Amaki worked for 34 years as a Japanese diplomat. He was also involved in South Korean-Japanese economic cooperation during his time as an economic cooperation officer for the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Since last year, he has been holding memorials to appease the spirits of Koreans killed by Japanese forces during the Imjin War of the late 16th century. One of those ceremonies is scheduled to take place on Nov. 8 at a monument in Okayama dedicated to the noses and ears taken from Koreans slain during Japan’s invasions of Korea.

Amaki explained, “The aim of the memorial service is to look ahead to improvements in South Korea-Japan relations by confronting history and apologizing for past misdeeds while honoring the victims.”

By Kim So-youn, Tokyo correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]