Should he continue his custom of making annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi could seriously harm Japan's national interest. His persistence in visiting the Tokyo memorial to the nation's war dead has intensified the firestorm of anti-Japanese criticism in China and South Korea, undermining the Japanese position in Asian diplomacy.
Recent opinion polls showed opposition to Koizumi's Yasukuni visits exceeding support for the first time. There is growing public anxiety over Koizumi's sense of diplomacy. A prime minister's most important task is to promote national interest, regardless of his or her own personal beliefs.
To solve the issue once and for all, Koizumi should stop paying his respects at the shrine and make a political decision to establish a nonreligious national facility to mourn the war dead.