About 1,500 people attended an annual memorial service to pay tribute to the war dead at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Tuesday, the 55th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
The service was organized by groups calling for Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori to pay an official visit to the shrine, which honors those "who dedicated their lives to maintain the state of Japan," and has been a symbol of nationalist forces and controversy regarding war-related issues throughout the postwar period.
It honors Japan's military leaders and soldiers from the war, including class-A war criminals.