China and South Korea are poised to vent their outrage if Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visits Yasukuni Shrine on Aug. 15.
If Koizumi visits the Tokyo shrine, which is criticized for honoring Class-A war criminals along with the war dead, on the anniversary of the end of the war, the Chinese President Hu Jintao is expected to lodge a stern protest.
A Chinese Communist Party source said the government would react harshly to any demonstrations over a visit that turned violent, but a trip would still cause social destabilization, which would "seriously affect political stability."
A Chinese Foreign Ministry official echoed those comments, saying that if Koizumi visits the shrine on Aug. 15, "the influence will be much larger than before."