Japan P.M. dismisses Asian fears about war policy

Prime Minister Koizumi says critics misunderstand the Japanese psyche

TOKYO, Japan -- Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has dismissed fears that his proposals to alter the country's pacifist constitution and to visit a controversial war shrine signal that Japan is veering to the right.

Since sweeping to power last month on pledges to shake up the ruling elite, Koizumi has alarmed Asian neighbors with his nationalistic stances.

Koizumi told CNN Thursday that criticism of his intention to visit Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, where Japan's war dead -- including war criminals -- are honored, is "a misunderstanding of the Japanese psyche."

CNN.com Asia More news from our Asia edition

"I visit the shrine with the understanding that Japan will never make the mistake of war again," he said.

He also defended his proposal to alter the country's war-renouncing constitution, drafted by the United States after Japan's defeat in World War II.

Japan effectively has one of the world's largest militaries, the Self-Defense Forces. But Koizumi wants to change its status to officially call it an army and allow it a broader security role.

"When we look at other countries, they have armed forces for self defense," Koizumi said.

The interview came during the first big diplomatic test for Koizumi's fledgling Cabinet, which is enjoying record high support ratings.

First diplomatic test

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka defends Koizumi's stance

Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka, who has come under criticism for her brash approach to her job, is in Beijing to attend a meeting of foreign ministers from Asia and the European Union.

In a meeting with her Chinese counterpart, Tang Jiaxuan, Tanaka defended Koizumi's stance on the Yasukuni Shrine, saying the leader only wants to "pray and pay tribute to the war dead," according to a diplomat in Beijing familiar with the talks.

The diplomat refused to be identified by name.

Tang warned Japan against such a visit, saying it could hurt relations, the diplomat said.

Tanaka has a warm relationship with Chinese officials because she visited Beijing when her father, former prime minister Kakuei Tanaka, normalized ties with the communist state in 1972.

That special tie has raised hope that Tokyo and Beijing may be able to smooth recent differences over historical issues. Tang said after the meeting that the talks had been "good."

China unwilling to back down

But Beijing showed no sign it would back down on issues that separate the two nations.

Tang criticized Tokyo for approving a junior high school history textbook that many Asians feel whitewashes Japanese World War II atrocities.

Tanaka expressed sympathy for Beijing's point of view, the diplomat said, quoting her as saying the issue "gives me a pain in the heart."

"The historical perspective of a textbook doesn't equal the position of the Japanese government," the diplomat quoted her as saying.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.