Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka said Tuesday that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is wavering on his decision to visit Yasukuni Shrine after she urged him to reconsider in view of diplomatic relations with China and South Korea.
"Unlike the textbook issue, the Yasukuni issue solely depends on the decision by Prime Minister Koizumi himself," Tanaka said at a news conference Tuesday morning.
Despite harsh criticism from China and South Korea over his plan to visit the shrine, which commemorates war dead including Class A war criminals, Koizumi has said he will still visit the shrine on the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II.
"As of today, I get a sense that the prime minister is wavering," Tanaka said. "I want (Koizumi) to understand that there will be more diplomatic friction than he thinks if he visits the shrine."
When asked if she would resign if Koizumi persists, Tanaka flatly denied the possibility and said the Yasukuni issue is only a part of overall Japanese diplomacy.