This is a wise move because Japan doesn’t need to give South Korean leftists any more reason to bash the country with:
A Japanese protester holds the rising sun flag and Japanese flag during a rally against South Korea in Tokyo on Feb. 22, 2013. KOJI SASAHARA/AP
Japan announced Friday that it won’t send a warship to an international fleet review hosted by South Korea next week because it could not accept Seoul’s request that it remove the Japanese navy’s “rising sun” flag.
Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters that Japan had notified the South Korean government of its decision.
“Unfortunately, we have come to a situation where we have no choice but to pass on our participation in the international fleet review,” Iwaya said.
Many South Koreans see the flag as a symbol of Japan’s World War II aggression, and protested its use during the Oct. 10-14 event near Jeju island. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read more at the link, but this dust up makes me wonder that if North Korea gets its confederation with South Korea, will the Stars & Stripes one day be unwelcome in Korea? From the Kim regime perspective it would be a symbol of aggression just like the Rising Sun flag.
Very mature of the RoK; quite reasonable and so worth it. 🙄
Car Nut
6 years ago
To name one country who has suffered more, Poland was occupied and at times wiped off the map of Europe from 1815 to 1989 (not counting the USSR occupation of so called “People’s Poland” from 1945-1989). Poland today gets along well with both its former occupier neighbors although less well with Russia to be sure. Poland would be happy to have had only a 35 year colonization. To state the obvious, the ROK situation with Japan is pure Leftist demagoguery with China, the most recent foreign occupier of Seoul in 1951, sitting back smiling.
Doug
6 years ago
The Korean leftist at it again. Cannot blame Japan.
Very mature of the RoK; quite reasonable and so worth it. 🙄
To name one country who has suffered more, Poland was occupied and at times wiped off the map of Europe from 1815 to 1989 (not counting the USSR occupation of so called “People’s Poland” from 1945-1989). Poland today gets along well with both its former occupier neighbors although less well with Russia to be sure. Poland would be happy to have had only a 35 year colonization. To state the obvious, the ROK situation with Japan is pure Leftist demagoguery with China, the most recent foreign occupier of Seoul in 1951, sitting back smiling.
The Korean leftist at it again. Cannot blame Japan.