Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Saturday prayed at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, seen by Japan’s Asian neighbors as a symbol of the country’s past militarism.
Koizumi has been a regular at the controversial shrine. Visits by Japanese politicians to the shrine, which also commemorates World War II criminals, has been criticized by China and South Korea. They see it as a move showing their lack of remorse over Japan’s wartime atrocities.