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Japan opposition leader visits war shrine: Kyodo

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-10-20 14:46

TOKYO: The leader of Japan's struggling opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), paid his respects at a Tokyo war shrine on Monday, Kyodo news agency said, in what could be a bid to boost support among conservatives.

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Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, whose Democratic Party toppled the long-ruling LDP in an August election, has said he will stay away from Yasukuni shrine, seen by many in Asia as a symbol of Japan's military aggression before and during World War Two.

While Hatoyama rides high in media opinion polls, with more than 70 percent saying they support him, former finance minister Sadakazu Tanigaki has failed to create a strong impression since being voted leader at the end of September.

Only 29 percent of respondents to a poll published in the Nikkei business daily on Monday, said they had high expectations of Tanigaki, while 57 percent said they did not.

When asked who was most suitable to be Japan's leader, 67 percent picked Hatoyama, while only 12 percent opted for Tanigaki, the paper said.

Japan's relations with neighbouring China and South Korea hit a rough patch under prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, who prayed regularly at Yasukuni during his time in office from 2001 to 2006. Ties have improved under subsequent leaders, who have avoided the shrine.

No one was available for immediate comment at Tanigaki's parliamentary office.