Aso, 15 of 17 Cabinet ministers say won't visit Yasukuni on Aug. 15+

TOKYO, Aug. 11 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Taro Aso and 15 ministers in his 17-member Cabinet will likely
refrain from visiting Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, the 64th anniversary of the
end of World War II, to avoid repercussions from neighboring countries.

Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Hatoyama also said Tuesday that he would
not visit the controversial shrine for the war dead if the main opposition
party takes power and he becomes prime minister.
Consumer affairs minister Seiko Noda was the only member of the Aso Cabinet to
clearly announce Tuesday her intention to visit the shrine, which is seen by
some Asian countries as a symbol of Japan's wartime military aggression. But
she added that she would do so ''in a private capacity.''
''I'm arranging the schedule (for the visit) right now,'' Noda told a press
conference after Tuesday's Cabinet meeting. ''Basically, (I will do) as I do
every year.''
Noda visited the Tokyo shrine on the anniversary last year when she was a
member of then Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's Cabinet.
Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said he will ''make an appropriate
decision,'' while the remaining 15 ministers said they would not visit the
shrine.
Among those who said they would refrain from visiting, Health, Labor and
Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe said, ''It is because of my interpretation of
history.''
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and Motoo Hayashi, state minister in charge of
disaster preparedness, said that they usually visit Yasukuni when the shrine
holds festivals.
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Ryu Shionoya said,
''I would like to refrain from paying a visit to a specific shrine as an
education minister.'' The ministry oversees an agency responsible for the
administration of religious organizations.
Meanwhile, Yuko Obuchi, minister in charge of issues related to the declining
birthrate, said, ''Praying should be avoided when it is busy. I would like to
visit when I can pray in a quiet atmosphere.''
Aso hinted Monday evening that he would avoid a visit, saying, ''I think it is
wrong to make people who sacrificed their precious lives for the state a
political or election issue or fodder for newspapers. They should be far away
from the (media) frenzy and kept in a place for more quiet prayer.''
Environment Minister Tetsuo Saito welcomed Aso's decision, saying, ''It is not
appropriate for the prime minister, who is a public figure, to visit one
religious facility.''
DPJ chief Hatoyama has indicated that he should not visit the shrine as long as
it honors Class A war criminals.
''I would like those who would be my Cabinet members to refrain from
visiting,'' he said at a press conference for foreign media at the party's
headquarters in Tokyo.
==Kyodo