Japan Minister Takaichi Visits Yasukuni Shrine

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)--Japanese economic security minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday visited war-related Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo during its three-day spring festival from Sunday.

She signed a visitors' book as a minister and made a "tamagushi" ritual offering at her own expense. The Shinto shrine honors Class-A World War II criminals along with the war dead and is regarded as a symbol of Japan's past militarism by China, South Korea and others.

"I expressed my gratitude with a sense of respect to the souls of those who sacrificed their lives for national policies," Takaichi told reporters after her visit.

Ahead of this, some 90 lawmakers of a suprapartisan group visited the shrine.

Among them were Hiroshi Moriyama, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's General Council, Hiroshi Kajiyama, who holds the title of executive acting LDP secretary-general, and some lawmakers of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party).

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]