Taku Yamasaki, secretary general of the governing Liberal Democratic Party, said Sunday that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will definitely pay a visit to Yasukuni Shrine, where Class A war criminals are honored, despite strong opposition from neighboring Asian countries.
"I believe the visit to Yasukuni will certainly be made, and I think it should be done," Yamasaki said during a Fuji Television talk show.
He added, however, "I believe (Koizumi) should make maximum efforts not to undermine relations with neighboring countries," and did not rule out the possibility that Koizumi might visit the shrine on a day other than Aug. 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, as the prime minister has repeatedly said he would.