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Emperor urged to visit controversial Yasukuni shrine

Japan's foreign minister has urged Emperor Akihito to visit Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine that China and South Korea say glorifies Japanese aggression in Asia during the first half of the last century, a news report said.

Foreign Minister Taro Aso also rejected China's criticism of recent visits by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Yasukuni shrine, which honors 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including several executed World War II criminals.

His comments, reported by Kyodo News agency late on Saturday, risk causing new friction with China.

Aso, who recently angered Beijing by calling China a threat, said the communist government's opposition to Koizumi's shrine visits only increased one's desire to go.

"It's just like when you're told, `Don't smoke cigarettes," Kyodo quoted Aso as saying. "It actually makes you want to smoke. It's best [for China] to keep quiet."

He also said he hoped Emperor Akihito would visit the shrine.

"The war dead shouted `Banzai!' for the emperor, not the prime minister," Kyodo quoted Aso as saying. "A visit by the emperor would be best."
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