Japan defence chief Koizumi visits war-linked Yasukuni shrine on WWII anniversary

Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo on August 15, the 81st anniversary of Japan's World War II defeat. The Shinto shrine honors convicted war criminals alongside the war dead, and its visits by Japanese officials have historically drawn sharp rebukes from China and South Korea, nations that suffered under Japan's wartime aggression.

Koizumi's visit comes as Japan navigates an increasingly severe security environment. The country has been boosting its defense capabilities and spending, a shift that contrasts with its post-war commitment to peace under its constitution. The Yasukuni shrine's enshrinement of 14 wartime leaders, including General Hideki Tojo, who was convicted as a Class-A war criminal, continues to be a point of contention.

Another cabinet member, Hitoshi Kikawada, who serves as state minister for Northern Territories issues, also visited the shrine. These islands are at the center of a territorial dispute with Russia, which Tokyo claims the former Soviet Union illegally seized after the war. While Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has visited the shrine in the past, she has refrained from doing so since taking office.