South Korea plans to unofficially ask Japan about the possibility of Crown Prince Naruhito attending the opening ceremony of the World Cup soccer finals on May 31 in Seoul, a source close to bilateral relations said Sunday.
But Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi may end up attending the event instead, due to concerns within the Japanese government, the source said.
Japan has already given up on sending Emperor Akihito to the opening ceremony because of the possibility of repercussions in South Korea, which Japan attempted to subjugate between 1910 and 1945.
Bilateral relations have recently been strained by controversies that include the Japanese government's approval last year of a history textbook critics say white wash Japan's wartime atrocities in Asia, and a visit by Koizumi in August to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honors the nation's war dead as well as Class A war criminals.
Sentiment toward Japan, however, recently warmed after the emperor stated before his 68th birthday Dec. 23 that his roots can be traced to the Korean Peninsula, indicating the historical blood ties recorded between the ancient Japanese Imperial family and the Paekche Kingdom, one of Korea's three early kingdoms.
If South Korea requests that visit, Japan will study the request cautiously, but some people in the Japanese government remain wary, the source said.
They say perception gaps on the history of Japan's aggression of the peninsula remain between the two countries, the preparation period would be too short, and the possibility of terrorism cannot be ruled out, according to the source.
Some officials in the government have called for studying the feasibility of a visit by another Imperial family member, the source said.
A dominant view, however, is that Koizumi will attend the opening ceremony.