Japanese Minister's Yasukuni Shrine Visit Draws Diplomatic Protests

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited the Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, the 81st anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender, sparking strong protests from China and South Korea.

The shrine commemorates 2.5 million war dead, including 14 convicted war criminals, leading neighbors to view such visits as a failure to atone for wartime atrocities.

While Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not visit, she sent a ritual offering, which the Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned as an anachronistic action requiring humble reflection.