Overview
- Senior LDP figures — Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki, Policy Affairs Chair Haruko Arimura and Campaign Chair Yasutoshi Nishimura — visited Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday to mark the end‑of‑war memorial day in a rare coordinated action.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not go to the shrine and Suzuki said he accepted her private offering and deposited it on her behalf.
- Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and Minister Hitoshi Oikawada separately visited and made private offerings, and Koizumi left without speaking to reporters.
- One planned participant, Policy Research Council Chair Takayuki Kobayashi, stayed in his Chiba district to lead heavy‑rain disaster response, showing differing tactical priorities inside the party.
- Korean government officials and Japanese foreign‑policy sources expressed concern that the visits could undercut recent diplomatic gains with South Korea and draw negative attention from China, recalling strong protests to similar ministerial visits in 2024.