Japanese PM wins court case on shrine
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-05 15:32

The Takamatsu High Court on Wednesday rejected a lawsuit against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a war shrine that have been criticized in Asia for glorifying Japan's past militarism.

The suit was brought by 159 people seeking a total 1.57 million yen (US$13,800; euro11,400) in compensation.

The court rejected the lawsuit, court official Yoshifumi Uematsu said. He could not provide other details immediately.

Kyodo News agency said the court did not make a judgment on whether the visits violated the constitution's ban on religious activities by the state.

Wednesday's ruling came after two court decisions on similar lawsuits last week.

Last Thursday, the Tokyo High Court turned down a case brought by 39 plaintiffs, and declared Koizumi's visits were private, but it did not rule on the constitutionality of worshipping at Yasukuni.

On Friday, the Osaka High Court ruled that Koizumi violated the constitution's rules on religion by going to Yasukuni, but the court rejected the Taiwanese plaintiffs' claims to be compensated over the visits. The panel said Koizumi's worshipping at Yasukuni shrine is a public act and therefore violates the constitutional separation of state and religion, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said.

Koizumi has gone to the shrine four times since becoming prime minister in April 2001.

The prime minister last went to Yasukuni in January 2004, and there has been mounting speculation that he could visit the shrine again before the end of this year. He refuses to discuss his plans, but such a visit is sure to enrage Japan's neighbors.

Past visits have contributed to the serious deterioration in ties between Tokyo and Seoul and Beijing.