Japanese lawmakers' visit to shrine for war dead stokes tensions with China
China criticises Japanese MPs' visit to a shrine for war dead, as tension festers over Diaoyus
Sixty-seven Japanese MPs, including two cabinet ministers, visited a controversial Tokyo war shrine yesterday amid rising tensions between Japan and China over a territorial dispute in the East China Sea.
The Yasukuni Shrine visit by Transport Minister Yuichiro Hata and Postal Privatisation Minister Mikio Shimoji came just a day after the leader of the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Shinzo Abe, paid homage at the shrine.
The Japanese politicians were at an autumn festival at the shrine, but Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda stayed away and previously told his cabinet to do the same. His administration sought to distance itself from the visit.
"A visit in a private capacity is a matter of the personal belief of individuals," Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said.
The Shinto shrine in central Tokyo honours 2.5 million war dead, including 14 convicted Class A war criminals from the second world war.
Chinese officials have criticised the visits, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei yesterday urging Japan to "face the international community in a responsible manner".