Koizumi visits shrine to war dead

Ignoring protests at home and abroad, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited a shrine memorializing Japan’s war dead Tuesday.

Koizumi went to Yasukuni Shrine on the anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender to fulfill a 2001 campaign promise, shrugging off several days of demonstrations in Tokyo by those who feel the shrine glorifies Japanese militarism and complaints from China and South Korea.

The visit further strained ties with the neighboring nations already driven to their lowest point in decades by Koizumi’s earlier visits to Yasukuni and a host of spats over territory, natural resources and other issues.

A fire late Tuesday destroyed the house and office of lawmaker Koichi Kato, a member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party who made numerous TV appearances during the day criticizing Koizumi for his shrine visit.

Investigators were still looking into the blaze but arson “could not be ruled out,” police official Koji Suzuki said.

Tokyo

Fisherman killed by Russians

A Russian patrol boat fired on a Japanese fishing vessel near disputed islands today, killing a fisherman, the coast guard said. Japan called the shooting “totally unacceptable” and demanded compensation.

Japan also demanded the immediate release of the surviving crew and the boat, which was seized by Russian authorities after the shooting. Russia claimed the boat had defied orders to stop.

The crab fisherman was shot and killed near Kaigara island, one of several islands in the Kuril chain northeast of Hokkaido that is administered by Russia and claimed by Japan.

Chikahito Harada, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official, summoned Russia’s deputy ambassador to his office and issued Japan’s demands.