Japan’s Takaichi Skips Yasukuni Visit Ahead of Possible Summits

Sanae Takaichi, a foreign policy hawk who is vying to become Japan’s next prime minister, opted not to pray at a shrine in Tokyo that some Asian countries see as glorifying Japan’s wartime past, ahead of potential summit meetings including one with US President Donald Trump.

Takaichi is set to forgo a visit to the Yasukuni shrine on the first day of the traditional autumn festival on Friday, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, breaking with her usual pattern of frequent visits. During her successful campaign to become leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, she had hinted that she might hold off on visiting the shrine to avoid inflaming ties with other countries.