{"id":2577,"date":"2026-08-14T23:39:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T23:39:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2577"},"modified":"2026-08-14T23:39:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T23:39:34","slug":"japans-defense-minister-koizumi-prays-at-shrine-seen-by-neighbors-as-symbol-of-japanese-militarism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2577","title":{"rendered":"Japan\u2019s Defense Minister Koizumi prays at shrine seen by neighbors as symbol of Japanese militarism"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

TOKYO (AP) \u2014 Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Saturday prayed at Tokyo\u2019s Yasukuni Shrine, seen by Japan\u2019s Asian neighbors as a symbol of the country\u2019s past militarism.<\/p>\n

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Koizumi has often been at the controversial shrine. Visits by Japanese politicians to the shrine, which also commemorates World War II criminals, have been criticized by China and South Korea. They see it as a move that shows their lack of remorse over Japan\u2019s wartime atrocities. <\/p>\n

Koizumi has regularly made annual shrine visits marking Japan\u2019s anniversary of the end of the war on Aug. 15 and other occasions.<\/p>\n

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Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, also a regular at the shrine, is expected to stay away to prioritize diplomatic ties with the neighboring countries. <\/p>\n

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Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has prayed at Tokyo\u2019s controversial Yasukuni Shrine, seen by Japan\u2019s Asian neighbors as a symbol of the country\u2019s past militarism. Koizumi has been a regular at the ashrine. Visits by Japanese politicians to the shrine, which also commemorates World War II criminals, has been criticized by China and South Korea. They see it as a move showing their lack of remorse over Japan\u2019s wartime atrocities. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, also a regular at the shrine, is expected to stay away Saturday to prioritize diplomatic ties with the neighboring countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\nJapan\u2019s Defense Minister Koizumi prays at shrine seen by neighbors as symbol of Japanese militarism - Top Moving Pros<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=2577\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Japan\u2019s Defense Minister Koizumi prays at shrine seen by neighbors as symbol of Japanese militarism - Top Moving Pros\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has prayed at Tokyo\u2019s controversial Yasukuni Shrine, seen by Japan\u2019s Asian neighbors as a symbol of the country\u2019s past militarism. 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