Japanese Lawmakers Visit Yasukuni Shrine

Politicians in Japan visited a controversial shrine in Tokyo on Tuesday, the first such visit since Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama was elected in August.

The group of 54 lawmakers including members of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan paid their respects to the 2.5 million Japanese war dead enshrined at the Yasukuni Shrine.

Official visits to the shrine have long been criticized by Japan's neighbors, including China and the two Koreas, especially as 14 World War Two war criminals are among those honored there.

Prime Minister Hatoyama has said he does not plan to visit the shrine and has proposed building a separate memorial.