Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Saturday visited the Yasukuni Shrine, a shrine to the nation’s war dead that Asian neighbors see as a symbol of wartime aggression, as Japan marked the 81st anniversary of its surrender in World War Two.
Visits and Reactions
Koizumi, the son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, wore a dark suit and tie as he visited the shrine, local media images showed. He has visited in the past, including as agriculture minister last year. Kimi Onoda, minister for economic security, also visited on Saturday, according to public broadcaster NHK.
China strongly condemned the negative moves by the Japanese side concerning the Yasukuni Shrine, and has already lodged solemn representations and a strong protest with Japan, a foreign ministry spokesperson said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Among the 2.5 million war dead commemorated at the Tokyo shrine are 14 wartime leaders convicted of the most serious war crimes, along with over 1,000 others found guilty by Allied tribunals after Japan’s 1945 defeat.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
