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Japanese PM Not to Visit Yasukuni on August 15
Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, secretary general of the New Komeito party, one of the two coalition partners of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said Saturday he expects Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to cancel his plan to visit Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on August 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, Kyodo News reported.
Fuyushiba told a radio program via telephone, "The premier will not visit the shrine. The secretaries general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the New Conservative Party (NCP), Taku Yamasaki and Takeshi Noda, share that view."
The NCP is another coalition partner of the ruling LDP.
Fuyushiba's comments are believed to have reflected contents of a meeting held by Yamasaki, Fuyushiba and Noda, and the Japanese prime minister on Friday night. The three secretaries general urged Koizumi not to visit the Shinto shrine, but left the final decision to Koizumi.
Koizumi's plan to pay a visit to the shrine has not only drawn strong criticism from China and South Korea, but also met opposition from Japanese lawmakers.
Among those displeased with the proposed visit is the New Komeito party, which is backed by Japan's largest lay Buddhist organization, Soka Gakkai.
The Yasukuni shrine, a bastion of the wartime government- sponsored Shintoism and symbol of militarism in Japan before and during World War II, houses the memorial tablets of 14 class-A war criminals, including wartime personnel and officials who have died since 1853 in Japan's various wars.
Fuyushiba said on the program that if Koizumi goes to the shrine on Wednesday, it will be a serious matter, but his party has not decided what it would do under such circumstances.
However, he said the New Komeito will not bolt from the coalition because of the issue.
"If we leave the government, Japanese politics will fall into great confusion. We'd better not be emotional," Fuyushiba said.
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