
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid homage on Monday at a Tokyo shrine for war dead that is viewed by critics as a symbol of Japan’s militaristic past, and set off angry reactions from neighbours China and South Korea. Chinese ambassador to Japan Wang Yi called Monday’s visit a “grave provocation to the Chinese people”, while South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon summoned Japanese ambassador Shotaro Oshima to complain.
A presidential aide also said that South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun was unlikely to meet Koizumi for their semi-annual summit meeting this year. —Reuters



