Tetsuo Saito, head of the Komeito party, speaks to reporters after holding a meeting with Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on September 19, 2025. Photo: VCG

Japan's Komeito Party representative Tetsuo Saito, during his meeting with elected ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Sanae Takaichi on Saturday, expressed his concerns including the impact of visits to the infamous Yasukuni Shrine on diplomacy and other fields, saying that the formation of the coalition government cannot be pushed forward if these concerns are not addressed, Japanese media Nikkei reported.

During their meeting, the two sides addressed multiple areas. For instance, Saito said that the LDP should draw a clear line on the issue of politics and money.

Among the topics, Saito conveyed to Takaichi his concerns about the diplomatic implications of the Yasukuni Shrine visits, per the report. 

After the meeting, Saito told reporters that he told the other party there exist significant anxieties and concerns among supporters, saying that the formation of the coalition government cannot be pushed forward if these concerns are not addressed, Nikkei reported.

Takaichi is a regular visitor to the Yasukuni Shrine, Reuters reported on Sunday. The infamous Yasukuni shrine honors convicted Class-A war criminals who committed atrocities against other nations during World War II. Takaichi visited the shrine on August 15 this year, the Japan Times reported, the day of Japan's unconditional surrender in the World War II.

In 2024, Takaichi claimed that she will continue to visit the shrine even if she assumes the post of prime minister, Kyodo News reported on September 9, 2024.

In this year's LDP presidential election, Takaichi, however, did not make explicit statements regarding visits to Yasukuni Shrine. 

When asked whether she would visit Yasukuni Shrine if elected prime minister in the Diet's designation vote, Takaichi replied that "I will make an appropriate decision at the proper time on how to honor the war dead and how to pray for peace." She claimed that "This should never be turned into a diplomatic issue," per NHK.

China has repeatedly voiced opposition to Japanese political figures' visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, a war-linked shrine in Tokyo seen by the neighboring countries in Asia as a symbol of Japanese militarism. 

China strongly deplores Japanese politicians' visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which challenge historical justice and human conscience, and has lodged stern protests with the Japanese side, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on August 16 in response to Japanese politicians paying respects to the shrine the previous day.

The spokesperson pointed out that the Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarists' war of aggression against foreign nations. The shrine honors 14 convicted Class-A war criminals who bear grave responsibilities for the war crimes committed during that war of aggression.

We urge Japan to face squarely and reflect on its history of aggression, be prudent on historical issues such as the Yasukuni Shrine, make a clean break with militarism, stick to the path of peaceful development, and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through real actions, the spokesperson said.

On August 15, China also summoned a senior Japanese diplomat in Beijing and lodged stern representations with Japan over Japanese political figures' visits to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine earlier in the day. 

Also on the same day, China's top diplomat and embassy in Japan condemned certain forces in the country for attempting to glorify aggression, deny invasion, distort history, and whitewash war criminals, calling such moves "utterly contemptible and self-humiliating."

Global Times