Japan's Takaichi may skip visit to Tokyo war shrine: reports | International

TOKYO, Oct 9, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Japan's likely new prime minister Sanae Takaichi may skip a visit to a shrine honouring the country's war dead during an autumn festival to avoid angering Asian neighbours, media reports said. Visits by Japanese officials to the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo -- which honours even convicted war criminals -- tend to infuriate China and South Korea, which see the shrine as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. Takaichi, the new leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has visited the shrine on many occasions, including when she was in ministerial posts. However, she is now weighing up the impact of a potential visit on diplomatic ties with Beijing and Seoul, the Yomiuri Shimbun,...