The No. 2 leader of the Liberal Democratic Party on Sunday said the agreement of the LDP and its two coalition partners is required before new Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi can visit Yasukuni Shrine, which honors about 2.5 million Japanese who have died in wars since the mid-19th century.
Speaking on a current affairs program on Fuji TV, Taku Yamasaki, the party's secretary general, said Koizumi's hope to visit the shrine as prime minister "will require the agreement of the three parties because we have a three-party coalition government. I think it is difficult for an LDP president to take an independent action."
Koizumi was elected LDP president last week. The New Conservative Party and New Komeito are the LDP's junior partners in the coalition.