Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Friday that when he visits the notorious Yasukuni Shrine he does so as a private individual and not in his capacity as premier, Kyodo News reported.

"I pay a visit as a person and not as duty of the prime minister," Koizumi was quoted as saying at a House of Councilors Budget Committee session.

"Junichiro Koizumi, who is prime minister, is paying a visit as an individual," he reiterated.

Koizumi has paid four visits to the Tokyo-based Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 Class-A World War II criminals along with Japan's war dead, since he took office in April 2001, with the latest one on New Year's Day in 2004.

Whether Koizumi has done so in his official capacity has been subject to legal dispute as the country's Constitution keeps the state outside of religious activity.

On Monday, Koizumi suggested that he will visit Yasukuni Shrine again this year during questioning at the House of Representatives Budget Committee, saying "I don't understand why I should stop visiting Yasukuni Shrine."

"I will decide appropriately when to go," he said.

Koizumi's visits to the shrine have aroused strong protests from other Asian countries which suffered during Japan's past aggression.

China considers the shrine visits by Japanese leaders as one of the most difficult issues in current China-Japan political relations, saying the issue reflects what the Japanese government thinks about Japan's history of aggression against other Asian countries.
 
(Xinhua News Agency May 21, 2005)