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Japan PM not planning to visit Yasukuni temple on Aug 15

The Head of Government decided against visiting the temple so as not to spoil relations with Japan's Asian neigbours
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS Archive
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS Archive

TOKYO, August 14 (Itar-Tass) - Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe is not planning to visit the Tokyo-based Yasukuni temple on August 15 when the country will mark the 68th anniversary of surrender in the Second World War, the Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday.

The Head of Government decided against visiting the temple so as not to spoil relations with Japan's Asian neigbours, primarily China and South Korea.

The Shintoist Yasukuni shrine differs from other similar places of worship by the fact that it is a place for veneration of warriors who fought for Japan, not for the worship of gods. The lists of all Japanese who perished on the battlefields since the middle of the 19th century are kept at the temple.