Off the wire
• Xinhua Insight: China's younger generation beating poverty through hard work  • Death toll reaches 11 in east China road accident  • Pyongyang opens 1st Taedonggang beer festival  • world-renowned chefs gather in Singapore for food feast  • Update: IS kidnaps 2,000 civilians while evacuating last position in Syria's Manbej  • No alarming refugee increase after failed coup in Turkey: Greek minister  • Results of women's 10,000m at Rio Olympics  • Japan, S. Korea specify 9.8 mln USD funds for "comfort women" deal  • Results of rowing lightweight men's double sculls final at Rio Olympics  • Results of rowing lightweight women's double sculls final at Rio Olympics  
You are here: 　 Home

Japanese defense minister not to visit Yasukuni Shrine on Aug.15 anniversary

Xinhua, August 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

Japan's newly appointed Defense Minister Tomomi Inada will visit Djibouti in Africa on a four-day trip from Saturday, which will prevent her from visiting the notorious Yasukuni Shrine on the 71st anniversary of the end of World War II on Aug.15, the defense ministry said on Friday.

Her trip aims to encourage Self-Defense Forces members who are engaged in an antipiracy mission off Somalia, according to the ministry.

Inada, known for a close ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a supporter of revamping Japan's pacifist constitution, regularly visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II before assuming the post of defense minister last week following Abe's cabinet reshuffle on Aug.3.

So far, one minister of Abe's cabinet has visited the shrine since last week's cabinet reshuffle. New reconstruction minister Masahiro Imamura on Thursday visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors millions of war dead as well as 14 convicted Class-A war criminals of World War II.

Yasukuni Shrine is regarded as a symbol of the past Japanese militarism. Visits to the infamous shrine by Japanese leaders and officials have sparked strong criticism from it neighbors and other Asian countries. Endit