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 TOKYO (AP) - About 100 Japanese lawmakers prayed at a shrine honoring the nation's war dead on Tuesday, a day after a visit by the country's prime minister triggered protests from China and South Korea, which say the shrine glorifies Japan's past militarism.
The group, including leaders of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and a handful of opposition lawmakers, visited Yasukuni Shrine to pay respects to the war dead during a fall festival, according to Yoko Tokoro, a shrine official.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi prayed at the shrine on Monday for the fifth time since taking office in April 2001, despite a recent court ruling that the visits violate Japan's constitutional division of religion and state.
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