The Class-A war criminals should be enshrined somewhere other than Yasukuni so future emperors can pay respects to the war dead at the shrine, former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone remarked Tuesday, saying the nation's leader must effect this change.

Nakasone's comments were in response to reporters' questions on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the shrine on the 61st anniversary of the end of the war.

Until now, Nakasone was the last serving prime minister to visit the shrine on the surrender anniversary.

"The prime minister's job is to make it possible for the emperor to pay respects before the spirits of the war dead. The visit to the shrine by the prime minister himself is not the main purpose," Nakasone said.

Nakasone was apparently alluding to the revelation last month that the late Emperor Hirohito, known posthumously as Showa, stopped visiting the shrine after it secretly enshrined the Class-A war criminals in 1978.

His son, Emperor Akihito, has not visited the shrine since ascending to the throne in 1989.

Nakasone also criticized Koizumi for pledging in April 2001 during his successful campaign for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency that he would visit Yasukuni on Aug. 15 as prime minister.

"The prime minister himself is probably satisfied with having carried out his pledge, but he should not have made the pledge in the presidential election. One cannot visit the shrine in a private capacity while in the position of prime minister or LDP president," he said.