Tokyo's Yasukuni war shrine is emerging as a potential flashpoint between Japan's moderate new prime minister, Yasuo Fukuda, and more hawkish figures within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
During his brief campaign to replace right-wing premier Shinzo Abe, who announced his resignation on September 1, Mr Fukuda made considerable play of his vow not to visit the shrine to avoid causing friction with neighbouring countries which suffered under Japanese wartime aggression.