Japan PM Skips Yasukuni Visit; Defense Minister, 3 Others Attend

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent an offering to the Yasukuni Shrine on August 15, 2026, the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II, but did not visit in person.

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and three other Cabinet members, including Shunichi Suzuki, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, visited the shrine. Takaichi, a conservative, had previously visited the shrine during seasonal festivals and on the August 15 anniversary before becoming prime minister in October 2025. Her decision to refrain from visiting is seen as reflecting diplomatic considerations.

China stated it deplores and strongly protests the visits, with its foreign ministry calling the shrine a symbol of Japanese militarism and the enshrinement of 14 wartime leaders, convicted as Class-A war criminals, a desecration of historical justice. South Korea also expressed regret and protested the moves. Koizumi's visit marks the first by an incumbent defense minister on the anniversary since Minoru Kihara in 2024.

Kihara is now chief Cabinet secretary in Takaichi’s government. The Yasukuni Shrine honors 2.5 million war dead, including convicted war criminals involved in Imperial Japan's aggression in the 1930s and 1940s. Takaichi paid for her offering out of her own pocket as president of the Liberal Democratic Party. Suzuki told reporters he visited the shrine with her feelings in mind.