Kyodo News mistakenly reported Deputy Ikuina’s visit to Yasukuni

TOKYO (Kyodo) – Kyodo News erroneously reported in Japanese that House of Councilor Akiko Ikuina visited the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on August 15, 2022, although she was not actually there.

While covering legislators’ movements near the temple on the anniversary of the end of World War II, Kyodo News did not directly confirm to a lawmaker from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party that she had entered the temple grounds before publishing the story.

On Sunday, Ikuina said she had not visited the temple since her election to the upper house in July 2022, leading to an investigation into the coverage at the time.

Several LDP lawmakers who actually visited the temple that day confirmed to Kyodo News that Ikuina was not present.

Ikuina, the parliamentary vice minister for foreign affairs, represented the Japanese government at an event on Sunday commemorating Japanese and Korean workers who worked at the gold and silver mine complex on Japan’s Sado Island, the site of which has been added to Japan’s world heritage list. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization earlier this year.

On Saturday, South Korean officials said they would not attend the event. A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday that he was under the impression that Ikuina visited Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15, 2022.

“We deeply apologize to Legislator Ikuina, as well as to the local affected parties and all our readers,” said managing news editor Naoto Takahashi.