Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, a front runner to be the next prime minister, hinted Wednesday he will keep visiting the contentious Yasukuni Shrine.
Abe also said that, as the top government spokesman, he accepts the government's official view in 1995 that Japan caused "tremendous damage and suffering" to people in Asia "through its colonial rule and aggression" during the 1930s and 1940s.
"Many people have paid visits (to Yasukuni) to pray for the people who died for the country, pray for their peace and to show respect for them," Abe said during a group media interview. "I am one of those people, and I'd like to hold onto that spirit."