Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi claimed Monday he is in fact mindful of Japan's Asian neighbors when he visits Yasukuni Shrine — trips that are denounced by China and South Korea.
"I'm always giving consideration," Koizumi said when asked about a statement issued Saturday by an association of relatives of Japan's war dead asking him to show more consideration for other parts of Asia in connection with his visits to the shrine.
Areas of Asia subjected to Japan's military aggression and colonial rule — particularly China and South Korea — see the Shinto shrine as symbolic of unrepentant Japanese militarism because it honors 14 Class-A war criminals among Japan's war dead.