Japan's defence minister visits Yasukuni Shrine, angering China and South Korea

Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi visited the Yasukuni Shrine on the 81st anniversary of Japan's WWII surrender, prompting sharp protests from China and South Korea. Both countries regard the shrine, which honours Japan's war dead including convicted war criminals, as a symbol of unrepentant militarism. The visit is a perennial diplomatic flashpoint in East Asia.