WHEN he was running for office in 2001,Junichiro Koizumi,Japan's prime minister,promised to visit Tokyo's Ya-sukuni shrine every year and to do so on August 15th,the anniversary of the emperor's admission that Japan had lost the war.Mr Koizumi always kept the first part of his promise,but only this week fulfilled the second.In formal morning coat and preceded by a Shinto priest,he spent only ten minutes at the shrine.Yet his visit brought roars of"banzai"from the crowd and a storm of disapproval from neighbouring countries.
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