Foreign Minister Taro Aso plans to urge Yasukuni Shrine to surrender its religious status and be placed under effective government control in a bid to improve icy diplomatic relations with China and South Korea, according to an outline of his plan obtained Saturday.
The plan will call for making the Shinto shrine a national war memorial on the assumption it would voluntarily disband as a religious entity under a new law that would be aimed at creating such memorials, the outline says.
The proposed law would determine who is to be enshrined at Yasukuni and thus clear the way for removing Class-A war criminals from the shrine's lists.
Aso is expected to unveil the plan at a news conference as early as Tuesday to demonstrate his desire to resolve disputes with Beijing and Seoul stemming from Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's annual pilgrimages to the Tokyo shrine.
He is apparently trying to distance himself from other potential rivals in the race to choose the next prime minister, such as Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe and Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki.
Aso is generally considered a long shot to win.
The outline was made available after it was reported Friday that Abe, the front-runner in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election set for Sept. 20, made a secret visit to Yasukuni in April.
Abe has refused to confirm whether he made the pilgrimage.
Aso has taken a cautious stance on whether he would visit Yasukuni if he becomes prime minister. He said late last month he would act in an appropriate fashion, taking into consideration his personal beliefs and his public position.
According to Aso's outline, Yasukuni in its new status would serve as a place emperors and prime ministers could visit along with foreign dignitaries.