Takaichi skips controversial shrine visit on 81st anniversary of country's World War II surrender

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi avoided Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni Shrine, apparently to prioritize diplomatic relations with China and South Korea, as Japan marked on Saturday the 81st anniversary of its surrender in World War II.However, she did not mention her country’s wartime past in Asia or show remorse over it in her address.The Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates over 2.4 million people who died in wars, became controversial after including 14 convicted World War II Japanese war criminals. China and South Korea say visits by Japanese officials to the shrine show a lack of remorse over Japan's wartime atrocities.Takaichi mourned the victims of major devastation in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa, as well as those who perished in overseas battlefronts, and thanked them for their sacrifice as the “foundation of Japan's peace and prosperity today.”“Japan, since the end of the war, has consistently contributed to global peace and prosperity. We will never let the tragedy of the war be repeated,” she said in her address at Budokan Hall, a walking distance from Yasukuni.Takaichi also said Japan can play a key role in addressing global challenges as “a dependable nation” in the region.China and South Korea protest shrine visitsJapanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, three other Cabinet ministers and three executives from Takaichi’s governing party showed up at the shrine earlier Saturday.

A nonpartisan group of dozens of lawmakers also prayed there.China’s Foreign Ministry protested to Japan over the visits, saying that Japanese politicians’ true intentions were to “change the verdict on the war criminals, cover up Japan’s war crimes, distort the historical facts and pave the way for accelerating militarization.” It urged Japan to do “serious soul searching” on history and make a clean break with militarism.Tensions between Japan and China escalated in November when Takaichi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “a survival-threatening situation” for Japan requiring the use of force. The comments enraged Beijing.South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, in a statement Saturday, said that his administration used “pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interests” and will broaden cooperation in shared interests to resolve common challenges. “Korea-Japan cooperation is now more important than ever."“The new bilateral relati…