TOKYO - Half of Japanese don't want their next prime minister to visit a
Tokyo war shrine at the center of a diplomatic row with Japan's East Asian
neighbors, according to a newspaper poll published Wednesday.
The Yasukuni Shrine in
Tokyo. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, a candidate for the
premiership, has called for the Yasukuni war shrine to be put under state
control and stripped of its religious affiliation so even the emperor
could visit. [AFP\File] |
A survey in the Yomiuri daily, Japan's largest newspaper, showed 50.3 percent
of 3,000 respondents felt that whoever replaces Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi, who is set to step down in September should not visit Yasukuni Shrine.
Another 40.4 percent supported the visits, while the remaining 9.4 percent
were undecided, the August 5-6 poll found.
China and other Asian countries say Yasukuni, which honors Japan's 2.5
million war dead, including 14 convicted World War II war criminals, glorifies
Japan's militarist past.
Opposition to the shrine visits has increased since the newspaper's last
survey on the issue in June, Yomiuri said. Other recent newspaper polls on the
issue have produced similar results.
The Yomiuri poll, which gave no margin of error, also showed that 48.6
percent of respondents felt Koizumi should not visit the shrine again before he
steps down.
Another 43.1 percent felt he should, while the remaing 8.4 percent were
undecided, it said.
Koizumi has visited the shrine every year since becoming prime minister in
2001, keeping a pledge he made during his successful campaign for the
premiership.
On Tuesday, Koizumi suggested he plans to worship again at the controversial
shrine, to mark the August 15 anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender.
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, in Tokyo for talks with Japanese
officials, demanded Koizumi refrain.
Ban was scheduled to meet the frontrunner to succeed Koizumi, Chief Cabinet
Secretary Shinzo Abe, Wednesday morning.
Abe, who has supported Koizumi's visits, reportedly worshipped at the shrine
in secret earlier this year. But he has refused to confirm those reports or say
whether he would go again as prime minister.
