Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi should take seriously the protests by Chinese leaders over his repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine and deal with the issue accordingly, New Komeito leader Takenori Kanzaki said Wednesday.
He said Tokyo-Beijing ties are being obstructed by Koizumi's visits to the Shinto shrine, which honors the nation's war dead as well as convicted war criminals and is seen by Asian neighbors as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
While New Komeito has expressed regret in the past over Koizumi's repeated visits to the contentious shrine, Kanzaki's comments Wednesday to the National Press Club were more forthright than usual.
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