75 Japanese lawmakers visit Yasukuni ahead of inter-Korea summit

By Park Ji-won

Japanese lawmakers visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine Friday, a move that may hurt cooperation with neighboring countries before the crucial inter-Korean summit on April 27.

A nonpartisan group of 75 Japanese lawmakers visited the shrine in Tokyo, according to local media reports.

The move will likely cause controversy as Japan needs the cooperation of its neighbors to help maintain peace in the region. Also, it could be a political hindrance as Japan has been making efforts to strengthen ties with Seoul to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. At the beginning of April, top Japanese diplomat Kono Taro visited the National Cemetery in Seoul to pay tribute to Korean War veterans.

The Yasukuni Shrine has been at the center of friction with Asian countries that suffered from Japan's imperialism during World War II as it honors 14 Class A war criminals, along with millions of war dead.

The visit came a few days after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited U.S. President Donald Trump as part of Japan's efforts to strengthen ties with its strongest ally ahead of planned summits between the U.S., the two Koreas and China. Abe is not expected to visit the shrine.

Abe visited it in late 2013 to mark his first year as prime minister, but hasn't been there since, though he has sent ritual offerings.