Â鶹´«Ã½ defense minister paid his respects Saturday at a shrine honoring the country¡¯s war dead that has long dogged Tokyo¡¯s relations with its Asian neighbors, but Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stayed away.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi¡¯s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine took place 81 years after Â鶹´«Ã½ surrender in World War II, an anniversary when crowds, including a small number in military-style uniform ¡ª and senior political figures ¡ª throng the site.
There had been some speculation that Takaichi, a regular visitor before becoming prime minister in October, might attend the shrine like then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, her mentor, had done in 2013.
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