Overview
- Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi paid respects at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on August 15, 2026, while several other ministers and LDP lawmakers also visited.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not go to the shrine in person but sent a ritual offering and spoke at a government memorial without using the word "remorse."
- China lodged a formal protest condemning the visits as an attempt to whitewash wartime crimes and South Korea summoned Japanese diplomats and expressed deep regret.
- Yasukuni honors roughly 2.4–2.5 million war dead and includes 14 Class‑A war criminals enshrined in 1978, and its private status raises recurring questions about religion and state in Japan.
- The visits underscore domestic political signaling by conservative figures, risk further strain on regional ties, and come as Japan expands defence spending and eases weapons export rules, which neighbours view as signs of remilitarisation.