Japanese Pm's Shrine Visit Angers China and S Korea

China and South Korea expressed their outrage today at a visit by the Japanese prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, to a shrine that honours the Japanese war dead, including convicted war criminals.

The Chinese foreign ministry said the visit could "seriously damage" relations with Japan.

Meanwhile, the South Korean foreign ministry issued a statement expressing its "rage and disappointment".

The statement said: "We urge a sensible judgment by Prime Minister Koizumi and the Japanese government so the feelings of people who have suffered from Japanese invasion are not hurt again."

The ministries urged Mr Koizumi not to repeat the visit, but he said he hoped to venerate the war dead at the Yasukuni shrine every year.

Japan's neighbours say that official visits to the shrine glorify Japan's military past.

Many Koreans still harbour bitter feelings against Japan for its harsh colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945.

"We feel rage and great disappointment that Japan's top government official once again paid tribute at the Yasukuni shine, which is the symbol of Japan's past militarism," the foreign ministry statement said.

"Our government cannot understand the logic of those who say they pray for peace, but pay tribute to war criminals who destroyed peace."

Mr Koizumi has visited the shrine three times since he assumed his post in April 2001.

The shrine honours 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including executed criminals such as the war-time prime minister, Hideki Tojo.