Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Koichi Kato, an ally of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, urged Koizumi to reconsider his pledge to visit Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

Speaking at Rikkyo University in Tokyo on Saturday, Kato said a visit by the prime minister would create a "very difficult matter for Japanese diplomacy" and urged Koizumi to "cautiously rethink" it.

Asian countries invaded by Japanese troops before and during World War II have criticized Koizumi for pledging to visit the Shinto shrine, which honors 2.5 million Japanese who have died in wars since the mid-19th century. Seven hanged war criminals are also enshrined, with wartime Prime Minister Gen. Hideki Tojo among them.