Zainichi Korean woman sues over Yasukuni Shrine enshrinement

A third-generation Zainichi Korean woman has filed a lawsuit in Tokyo District Court against the Japanese government and Yasukuni Shrine. The plaintiff is seeking the cancellation of the enshrinement of her two great-uncles, the return of their remains, and damages.

The two men were mobilized by Japan during the Pacific War after moving from the Korean Peninsula in the 1920s. One died in 1944 following a submarine attack in the Kuril Islands, while the other died during a unit annihilation in Guam. The plaintiff discovered through naval documents in February that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare provided their information to the shrine in 1959 using Japanese names without the family's consent.

The lawsuit highlights a long-standing issue regarding the approximately 20,000 Koreans enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine. While previous lawsuits by bereaved families have been dismissed by Japanese courts—including a 2025 Supreme Court ruling citing the statute of limitations—this new legal action by a direct descendant brings renewed attention to the violation of religious freedom and the rights of the deceased.