TOKYO, Jan. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is set to visit Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on Thursday, local media reports said.

   This will be Koizumi's fourth visit to the shrine since he came to power in 2001.

   Yasukuni Shrine honors 14 Class-A World War II criminals along with the 2.47 million Japanese war dead since the mid-19th century.

   His previous visits drew strong protests from Asian countries that had suffered from military invasions by the Japanese army. Enditem