A regional court ruled Wednesday that Prime Minster Junichiro Koizumi's visit to a war shrine violated Japan's constitution, local media reported.  

The visit to Yasukuni Shrine in downtown Tokyo was religious in nature, said Kiyonaga Kamegawa, chief justice of the Fukuoka District Court. That violates the division between religion and state in Japan's governing document, Kamegawa said.

A group of 211 activists filed a lawsuit alleging that Koizumi's visits to the shrine violated the constitution and caused them psychological stress. They demanded US$200,000 in damages.

The court rejected their claims for compensation, an official at the Fukuoka Court said, but declined to provide further details.

Koizumi has visited the shrine several times, which has angered China, the Republic of Korea and other Asian countries because of its association with Japan's wartime exploits.

The court was ruling on the constitutionality of a visit made in August 2001.

(China Daily April 7, 2004)