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Koizumi Repeats Determination to Visit Yasukuni Shrine
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi repeated Tuesday that he is determined to visit the Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines Class A war criminals, on the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
''As I have said before, I will make the visit to console the souls of those who died in the war, and from a feeling that we should never repeat war,'' the premier said in an interview with Kyodo News and other news organizations.
''I think (such a visit) is only natural, as a Japanese citizen and the prime minister of Japan,'' he said.
The premier made the comments shortly after facing fresh calls from China and South Korea to cancel the controversial plan to visit the Shinto shrine in Tokyo.
Asked how he plans to mend ties with the two countries, Koizumi said, ''I will think about that after I make the visit.''
The premier also said he will make the visit ''as Japan's prime minister.'' He said he thinks there will be meaning in his visit precisely because he plans to make it Aug. 15, rather than another date.
The Shinto shrine honors about 2.5 million Japanese who died in wars since the mid-19th century. Yasukuni also houses the memorial tablets of 14 Class-A World War II criminals, including wartime prime minister Hideki Tojo.
Critics of the plan say such high-level visits serve to glorify Japan's past wars and aggression against its Asian neighbors.
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