Former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone expressed strong opposition Sunday to building a secular memorial to Japan's war dead that political leaders could visit without provoking Asian countries.
"I have been against it for some time now. We must avoid doing anything that would cause Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines people who died for the country, to lose its significance," the 87-year-old Nakasone said on a Fuji TV talk show.
The idea of building an alternative memorial site was first floated in 2001. More recently, South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi confirmed during their talks June 20 in Seoul that Japan will "consider" setting up a new national war memorial as urged by South Korea.