Cabinet minister Sanae Takaichi and some 90 other lawmakers from ruling and opposition parties visited the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Friday, in a move that may again trigger criticism from China and South Korea.
"I prayed for the peace of the souls of those who died for the country, as well as for the health of bereaved families," Takaichi, minister of internal affairs and communications, told reporters after the visit.
"It can never be a diplomatic issue," she added.