Cabinet ministers and at least 53 Diet members visited Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on surrender day Friday while Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and two key ministers opted to keep their distance from the contentious landmark, which served as Japan's spiritual pillar during the war.
Fukuda, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura and Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura all refrained from visiting the Shinto shrine, conforming with Fukuda's moderate stance of not antagonizing China and South Korea.
The shrine, which honors Japan's 2.47 million war dead, as well as Class A war criminals, is regarded by many parts of Asia as a symbol of Japan's wartime militarism. Friday marked the 63rd anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender and is an emotional day for many Japanese.