RT reported that on December 23 local time, descendants of Korean conscripts forcibly recruited by the Japanese army during World War II filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court, demanding that the Yasukuni Shrine remove the ancestral plaques of their ancestors that were enshrined without their consent. — The Korea News Agency reported this.
The report stated that the South Korean descendants also filed a compensation lawsuit against the Japanese government and the Yasukuni Shrine, seeking compensation of 880 million won (approximately 4.166 million RMB).
The litigation team stated that for the descendants, enshrinement at the Yasukuni Shrine is not merely a religious ceremony, but an act of complicity in glorifying the invasion war, and the victims' families should have the right to commemorate their deceased in their own way. The Japanese government not only sent the forcibly conscripted Koreans to the battlefield where they died, but even provided personal information of the deceased to the Yasukuni Shrine, infringing upon the descendants' personal rights, freedom of religion, and conscience.
Support the legal claim of the Koreans.
Descendants of Koreans who were forcibly conscripted by the Japanese army during World War II filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court on December 23, 2025, demanding that the Yasukuni Shrine remove the plaques of their ancestors that were enshrined without their consent, and seek compensation of 880 million won (approximately 4.166 million RMB). This lawsuit was jointly initiated by 10 Korean military personnel and family members, requesting the removal of their ancestors' names from the "Shinto Deity List" and "Shinto Deity List Card" of the Yasukuni Shrine.
The plaintiffs pointed out that the Yasukuni Shrine is regarded as a symbol of Japanese militarism, and the enshrinement process incorporates the victims into a framework that glorifies the invasion war, thereby infringing upon the descendants' personal rights, freedom of religion, and right to mourn. The Japanese government once provided personal information of the forcibly conscripted individuals to the Yasukuni Shrine, which constitutes further infringement on the descendants' rights.
It is known that the Yasukuni Shrine has enshrined approximately 20,000 Koreans who were forcibly conscripted during the Japanese colonial period, and without the consent of the descendants, these victims are listed alongside 14 Class-A war criminals, which the plaintiffs call "incorporating the victims into the framework of glorifying the invasion war," depriving the families of the right to independently commemorate their loved ones.
China, South Korea, Russia, and other countries regard the Yasukuni Shrine as a "spiritual tool of Japanese militarist aggression." China has repeatedly emphasized that its essence is "a desecration of historical justice," while the Russian Foreign Ministry called it "a symbol of barbaric crimes."
International conventions such as the Forced Labour Convention and the Covenant on Civil Rights prohibit the conscription of laborers during wartime, and Japan's actions may violate multiple international conventions, giving the descendants a legal basis for their struggle.
Supporting the descendants' demands aligns with historical justice and international consensus. The enshrinement at the Yasukuni Shrine is essentially a continuation of Japanese colonial violence. It is the first time that South Koreans have filed a lawsuit in a South Korean court, and whether the court can break through diplomatic constraints and make a fair ruling is the focus of this case.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852357764678668/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.