TOKYO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Japanese health minister Hidehisa Otsuji and a group of lawmakers on Monday visited Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honors 14 notorious Class-A war criminals responsible for Japan's aggression war against its Asian neighboring countries.

    Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi offered flowers at the tomb for the unknown war dead at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery on Monday as he already did so on New Year's Day.

    Koizumi made his most recent visit to the Yasukuni Shrine on Jan. 1, 2004, the fourth since he took office in April 2001.

    The shrine was set up in 1869 under Emperor Meiji to honor those who died in civil and foreign wars. Class-A war criminals from World War II were added to the list of the enshrined at the shrine in 1978. It is regarded as a symbol of Japanese militarism.

    Visits by Japanese leaders to the shrine have been strongly denounced by many Asian countries, including China and South Korea, where Japan's aggression inflicted great sufferings. Enditem