LDP Officials to Visit Yasukuni Shrine on Anniversary of Japan's Surrender

The core leadership of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is set to collectively visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on 15 August, which marks both Korea's Liberation Day and the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. This unprecedented move by the LDP's 'four top officials' - Suzuki Shunichi, Secretary-General; Arimura Haruko, General Council Chair; Kobayashi Takuyuki, Deputy Secretary-General; and Nishimura Yasutoshi, Election Strategy Chair - is seen as an attempt to rally the party's conservative base ahead of the year-end review of Japan's defense policies. The LDP stated that the visit is purely a party affair and a way to pay respects to the war dead. The Yasukuni Shrine houses the spirits of over 2.46 million war dead, including Class-A war criminals.