Online commenters say the timing of the ambassador’s trip to the controversial shrine ‘added salt to the injury’
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Ukraine’s ambassador to Japan has been criticised on social media in China for visiting the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo in what some commenters called an insult to the Chinese people.
Sergiy Korsunsky’s visit on Tuesday coincided with commemorations in China of the 79th anniversary of the end of what Beijing calls the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
China’s foreign ministry has not yet commented on Korsunsky’s visit to the shrine which commemorates Japan’s war dead, including 14 class A war criminals. Beijing often protests against official visits and any associated rituals.
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Criticism began circulating on Chinese social media soon after the Ukrainian embassy in Japan posted news and pictures of the visit on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The post has since been deleted.
According to the post, Korsunsky performed a ritual handwashing before visiting the shrine, where he left a handwritten message.
Niutanqin, a WeChat account affiliated with state news agency Xinhua, said on Thursday that Korsunsky’s visit was “disrespectful” to China. The hashtag “Ukrainian ambassador to Japan worshipped ghosts” also trended.
Some commenters said that Korsunsky’s choice to visit the shrine on World Anti-Fascist Memorial Day was like adding salt to injury.
“The Ukrainian ambassador to Japan has insulted China. I no longer support [Ukraine] … I hope China provides more aid to Russia to defeat Ukraine,” one commenter wrote on Weibo.
The Ukrainian embassy in Japan posted pictures of the ambassador Sergiy Korsunsky’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. The post was later deleted. Photo: X/@UKRinJPN alt=The Ukrainian embassy in Japan posted pictures of the ambassador Sergiy Korsunsky’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. The post was later deleted. Photo: X/@UKRinJPN>
The Ukrainian embassy in China made no mention of the visit on its official Weibo account, posting speeches by President Volodymyr Zelensky as usual each day. However, the posts were flooded with negative comments after the news broke.
China claims a neutral position on Russia’s war with Ukraine and has consistently positioned itself as a peace broker in the conflict. In May, China, along with Brazil, put forward a 12-point peace plan, calling for negotiations.
However, unlike the Western-supported proposal put forward at a summit in June, Beijing’s plan called for a ceasefire without requiring Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
According to Beijing, the West’s backing for Ukraine is undermining Russian security and the supply of weapons by Western powers to the Ukrainian side is a major obstacle to peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
Japan is constrained by its pacifist constitution from providing Ukraine with weapons but has promised more than US$12 billion in mine-clearing devices and other non-lethal aid.
Similar protests over the Ukrainian ambassador’s visit to the shrine appeared on social media in South Korea, where public support for Ukraine has generally been strong. However, some South Korean commenters posted angry messages against Kyiv.
One online commenter in South Korea said Korsunsky’s visit was “an insult to the victims of Japan’s persecution during World War II” and that “Ukraine should be ashamed”.
“I used to support Ukraine, but after seeing this, I’ve changed my mind. What happens in Ukraine is none of my business now,” another said.
Original article: scmp.com via yahoo.com
