Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni war shrine Tuesday was denounced by China as an act that "tramples on the conscience of mankind". The visit Tuesday coincided with the anniversary of Japan's World War Two surrender. Koizumi has visited the shrine, which honors 2.5 million war dead also enshrines 14 Class A war criminals, every year since becoming prime minister in 2001. He told reporters that he doesn't go to the shrine to "justify the past war or to glorify militarism" but rather to pray for world peace.
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