TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Saturday prayed at Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, seen by Japan’s Asian neighbors as a symbol of the country’s past militarism.

Koizumi has often been at the controversial shrine. Visits by Japanese politicians to the shrine, which also commemorates World War II criminals, have been criticized by China and South Korea. They see it as a move that shows their lack of remorse over Japan’s wartime atrocities.