As the fallout continues from Monday's controversial visit by the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Junichiro Koizumi, Japan yesterday marked the 56th anniversary of the end of the second World War.
About 6,500 people, including Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, attended a secular ceremony at Tokyo's Budokan Hall and heard Mr Koizumi once again express "deep remorse" for Japan's actions during the war.
The emperor, paying tribute to Japan's three million war dead, said he "sincerely hoped war would never happen again".
Speaking to reporters afterwards, the Prime Minister said "each country's view of history is different, but they share in common the desire to promote mutual friendship."
The statement was widely seen as another appeal to Japan's Asian neighbours, who were enraged by Mr Koizumi's decision to pay homage at the Shinto memorial, widely considered a monument to Japanese militarism. The shrine honours millions of war dead, including a number of convicted and hanged war criminals.
China and South Korea are unlikely to have been encouraged, however, by the scenes at Yasukuni - just 300 metres from the Budokan Hall - where five members of Mr Koizumi's cabinet and 190 deputies from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party once again defied protests to pay homage.
The politicians, including the Defence Chief, Mr Nakatani, and the Economy, Trade and Industry Minister, Mr Takeo Hira-numa, were joined by Tokyo's controversial right-wing Mayor, Mr Shintaro Ishihara.
When asked by reporters whether he was visiting in a "personal or public capacity", Mr Ishihara snapped that it was a "stupid question. I'm visiting as the Mayor of this city."
Earlier in the morning, about 200 pacifists staging a protest outside the shrine were attacked by right-wing activists shouting "traitors".
Japanese television reported at least one person was taken to hospital. The scuffle was one of a number that broke out during the day as protesters, vastly outnumbered by nationalists who support Mr Koizumi's visit, tried to get inside Yasukuni.
A lone pacifist wearing a mask was roughly bundled into a van by police after he managed to get inside the grounds of the shrine.
The police said about 125,000 people had made the pilgrimage to Yasukuni yesterday, well up on last year's total and a sign that Mr Koizumi's high-profile visit had stirred emotions.
Most polls continue to show the public evenly divided on the merits of Monday's pilgrimage.
