Takaichi to Seek Int'l Understanding over Yasukuni Visit

Tokyo, Feb. 9 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi indicated Sunday that she will work to win the understanding of the international community, including the United States, over her possible visit to the war-related Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.

"We will first gain the understanding of our ally and neighboring countries," Takaichi said in a Fuji Television Network Inc. program Sunday night, following a general election in which her ruling Liberal Democratic Party won a historic victory.

Since taking office, the prime minister has refrained from visiting the shrine, which is regarded as a symbol of Japan's past militarism by neighboring countries such as China and South Korea as it enshrines Class-A World War II criminals along with the war dead.

Noting that the United States expressed its disappointment when then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the shrine in 2013, Takaichi said, "My goal is to create an environment in which we can pay our respects to those who died for each other's countries."

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