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The Japanese Prime Minister's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine has such great repercussions on foreign relations in Asia that the Yasukuni Shrine controversy is often associated with the Japanese Prime Minister's visit to the Shrine or the Class-A war criminals. Of course, these are extremely important matters that should not be overlooked. But there is something here that the Koreans should not forget. It is the fact that about 21,000 Koreans, who were drafted by Japan and died in the war, are enshrined in Yasukuni against the will of their bereaved families.

Those bereaved Korean families find it unacceptable that their fathers or brothers are enshrined as gods in Yasukuni, a shrine of aggression that draws criticism from the neighboring countries every time the Prime Minister or politicians of Japan pay a visit. Their thought about the Yasukuni Shrine is well represented in the final statement given by Lee Hee-ja, the representative of the plaintiffs, at the court of appeal (Tokyo High Court) on May 29, 2013, as follows:

"The Yasukuni Shrine, which was used in drafting Japanese citizens to war, should have been closed down once the war was over. If Japan had reflected on their wars of aggression and colonial rule, it would have been natural for them to close down the Yasukuni Shrine. Then no Korean victims would have been enshrined there. But the Yasukuni Shrine was not closed down, and my father was shrined there. At least as far as the Yasukuni Shrine is concerned, Japan remains the same as before its defeat in WWII. I cannot tolerate that my father's name is being used in glorifying Japan's colonial rule and aggressive wars in the past or promoting Japan's move toward a new militarism. It makes me feel great shame."

Suffering under Colonial Rule Not Over for the Bereaved Families

The bereaved families who agreed with her have filed a collective suit three times since 2001, demanding the removal of the Koreans enshrined in the Yasukuni Shrine without permission. The Japanese court has dismissed the first two cases on the ground of 'religious tolerance.' And the third case is now pending. On July 21, 2011, after the Tokyo District Court ruled to dismiss the 'No! to Enshrinement! (NO! 合祀)' case brought in April 2007, the Koreans concerned decided that Korea's opinion would need to be delivered clearly at the courts of appeals. This decision stemmed from the reflection that the lawsuits thus far had depended too much on the Japanese counsel only, and from the sense of responsibility that this issue concerned not just the bereaved families but all of us.

To prepare the briefs to be submitted to the Japanese court, the Institute for Research in Collaborationist Activities, which was serving as the Korean secretariat for the 'No! to Enshrinement' case, and the Association for Requesting Compensation for the Pacific War Victims of which the plaintiffs were members organized a team of related researchers and lawyers, with support from the Northeast Asian History Foundation. This team held monthly meetings to collect and review the existing research findings, and prepared the briefs while exchanging opinions with the Japanese counsel. Based on the historical fact that the Yasukuni Shrine had been a shrine of aggression in Korea as a Japanese colony, the briefs expressed empathy with the plaintiffs for their suffering, pointed out that enshrining the Koreans in Yasukuni without the consent of their bereaved families had been the 'second act of violence' done to them following the draft. and stated that the Yasukuni Shrine and the Japanese government ignoring this should be held responsible for it. Even though the briefs couldn't change the decision of the Japanese court, they are of great significance in that they have collected and delivered the results of Korean society's research and discussion on the Yasukuni Shrine controversy.

A Complete Collection of Korea's Research Findings on Yasukuni Shrine

The briefs submitted to the Japanese court, revised and complemented in part, in addition to new manuscripts and materials, have been edited into this book. Part 1 'Yasukuni Lawsuit and Law' was focused on analyzing the issues disputed in the 'No! to Enshrinement' case and why the decision at the court of first instance was unfair. Yamamoto Naoyoshi (山本直好), the Japanese secretary-general of the 'No! to Enshrinement' case, provided a summary of the entire proceedings, with focus on the issues. Uchida Masatoshi (内田雅敏), the lawyer in charge of the case, revealed the true nature of Yasukuni as a shrine of aggression, based on the perception that the plaintiffs' families had been murdered by the Yasukuni Shrine united with Japan as a state. Lawyer Lee Seok-tae pointed out what was wrong with 'religious tolerance,' which was the ground of the Japanese court's decision, under principles of law.

Part 2 'Yasukuni Shrine and Korea as a Japanese Colony' dealt with the relationship between Korea as a Japanese colony and the Yasukuni Shrine, and the enshrinement of the Koreans after Korea's liberation from Japanese rule. Kim Seung-tae explained how the Yasukuni Shrine had been perceived from historical perspectives. Nam Sang-Gu and Nogi Gaori (野木香里) examined how the Koreans had come to be enshrined in Yasukuni before and after Korea's liberation, clarifying that the Japanese government was responsible. Ji Young-im pointed out that by the standards of Korea's traditional memorial culture the Yasukuni Shrine was infringing on the Korean bereaved families' rights to honor the dead. Zushi Minoru (辻子実) gave a vivid description of the sites of the shrines of aggression that existed in Korea as a Japanese colony.

Part 3 'Litigation, Movement, and History' contained the documents directly related to the case: the decisions, the briefs, the final statements, and a history. The final statements by Lee Hee-ja, the representative of the plaintiffs, are a testament to the fact that the bereaved families had developed a clear logic of their own in the course of litigation for over ten years without relying on researchers or lawyers.

From the perspectives of the Korean victims enshrined in Yasukuni without permission and of their bereaved families, the issue of colonial rule is not over but ongoing. Celebrating the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation, I hope that more citizens will take an interest in this issue.