Kiyomi Kishimoto, an executive of the Japan War-Bereaved Association, is challenging a staunch position by veterans and relatives of the war dead and publicly saying he doesn't want the Class-A war criminals in Yasukuni Shrine any more.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2006/nn20060812f1a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='188'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward is bustling with visitors Thursday. </B> SATOKO KAWASAKI PHOTO</FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>Kishimoto, one of 12 executives, wants the Shinto shrine dedicated to the nation's 2.47 war dead to strike the 14 names from its roster, hoping the moves helps mend Japan's strained relations with China and South Korea and other parts of Asia over their enshrinement.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>He has repeated his position that he wants the war criminals memorialized at a different venue at several recent director-level meetings.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The largest group of relatives of the war dead was formed right after the war. It is a key supporter of the shrine as well as an influential backer of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>It was to this group that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi pledged to visit the shrine on the Aug. 15 anniversary of the war's end when he was campaigning in April 2001 to become LDP president, and hence the prime minister.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>Top executives of the association met Aug. 2 in Tokyo and decided to let off the hook candidates in the LDP leadership race to replace Koizumi and not discuss Yasukuni issues until after the Sept. 20 election.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The war criminals 'has been a taboo –

everyone (in the association) avoided," Kishimoto said.

But this all changed several years ago, when the group's chairman, LDP House of Representative lawmaker Makoto Koga, and other association members started to speak publicly about removing the war criminals from Yasukuni, Kishimoto said.

Debate over the enshrinement has heated since Koizumi began making his contentious visits to the shrine in 2001, despite backing away from his promise to visit on Aug. 15.

Comments by Koizumi over the past two weeks have everyone guessing that he will finally make an Aug. 15 visit Tuesday.