WASHINGTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Henry Hyde, a leading U.S. Congressman, was concerned about Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the controversial Yasukuni shrine honoring the war dead, a spokesman for Hyde said on Monday.

    Hyde, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on International Relations, expressed concerns about Koizumi's war shrine visits in a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert in late April, his spokesman said.

    "It is a letter in which the chairman does raise concerns about the efficacy of an invitation to the Japanese prime minister, who continues to make controversial visits to the Yasukuni shrine," the spokesman said.

    Koizumi, a strong ally of Washington, is expected to visit the United States next month and may be invited to address the U.S. Congress.

    Since he took office in 2001, Koizumi has visited the war shrine each year despite strong protests from China, South Korea and other Asian countries. Enditem