Anger over Koizumi's shrine visit

Tokyo
January 2, 2004

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited a controversial shrine honouring Japan's war dead yesterday, angering China as it and other nations seek to arrange fresh talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Since taking office early in 2001, the strongly nationalistic Mr Koizumi had already outraged Japan's Asian neighbours three times with visits to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, seen by many as a symbol of the militarist regime that led Japan into war.

The shrine is dedicated to Japan's 2.5 million military war dead since 1853, including wartime prime minister Hideki Tojo and 13 other convicted war criminals. The visit comes shortly before Japan is expected to dispatch a large force of non-combat troops to Iraq.


http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/01/1072908854721.html