Defence Minister Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni Shrine comes on the 81st anniversary of Japan's surrender in WWII.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has prayed at Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine, seen by Japan’s Asian neighbors as a symbol of the country’s past militarism.

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.