Japanese Defence Minister Visits Controversial Yasukuni Shrine, Angering China and South Korea

Japan's Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited the Yasukuni Shrine on August 15, 2026, marking the 81st anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender. The visit, which commemorates Japan's war dead including convicted war criminals, drew strong rebukes from China and South Korea, who view it as a lack of remorse for Japan's wartime atrocities.