Japanese embassy to host self-defense force founding event in Seoul

The Japanese embassy in Seoul will host an event marking the founding of the country's self-defense force next week, a local diplomatic source said on Sunday.

The official insider said the embassy has recently sent out invitations to government and military officials, diplomats and politicians to mark the 62th anniversary of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The event will be held at a Seoul hotel on July 12.

The JSDF, which encompasses land, air and sea elements of Japan's military, was founded in July 1, 1954. The Japanese embassy has held a ceremony marking the day every year, although more recently, with the straining of bilateral relations, it has been obliged to keep the event low-key.

Japan's military causes particular aversion in South Korea because it brings back memories of the island nation's imperialistic past and Tokyo's brutal colonization of Korea from 1910 through 1945.

Reflecting this, the Japanese embassy here had a hard time securing an outside venue to hold the celebratory event in the past few years due to protests and unwillingness of hotels to take flak for hosting the controversial gathering.

(Yonhap)

In July 2014, the year that the JSDF marked its 60th anniversary, the embassy was compelled to hold the event at its embassy, instead of the originally booked Lotte Hotel in central Seoul, after the hotel chain turned down its reservation.

The event was again held at the embassy in 2015, but this year out of fear of public backlash. Still, Japanese officials are seeking to celebrate the occasion at a hotel in Seoul, as some headway has been made to reduce bilateral tensions.  (Yonhap)