Japan faced an international political and economic backlash Thursday after prime minister Shinzo Abe visited the controversial Yasukuni shrine which honors the nation’s war dead--including those convicted of war crimes. The Yasukuni Shrine, in Tokyo, honors Japan’s 2.4 million war dead but also includes 14 class A war criminals convicted by the international war tribunal after World War II. The United States expressed disappointment at the move, while Japanese auto makers were braced for a consumer kickback that could dent sales, particularly in China. South Korea termed the visit a deplorable and anachronistic act that damaged ties between the two countries and summoned a top Japanese diplomat in Seoul to protest. In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo said Japan’s leadership had “taken an action that will exacerbate tensions” with neighbors.
