Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda got annoyed Monday with a reporter who asked him about China's latest protest over Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine.

"Should I make a comment every time (some foreign leaders) talk about it?" the government's top spokesman asked.

"I've already discussed Prime Minister Koizumi's way of thinking (on this matter) many times in the past. Please refer to it."