Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi again attempted Wednesday to justify his repeated trips to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine by noting that China and South Korea are the only countries that denounce the visits.
Koizumi's remark was in response to a question posed by Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Marutei Tsurunen, a naturalized Japanese from Finland whose Finnish name is Martti Turunen, during an Upper House plenary session.
Faced with criticism that his U.S.-oriented policy is an ineffective strategy in Asia, Koizumi said, "It is extremely important for Japan and the U.S. to be close in developing strategic diplomacy toward Asia.