War bereaved families study separate enshrinement at Yasukuni

The Japan War-Bereaved Association held its first meeting Tuesday in Tokyo to study the proposed separation of Class-A war criminals enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine, group members said.

Association president Makoto Koga, a senior lawmaker of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said in a speech, "We cannot merely continue to leave the situation as it is when there are various public opinions." Koga, a former LDP secretary general, has expressed support for the idea of separating the 14 Class-A war criminals from other souls enshrined at the shrine, mostly comprising the Japanese war dead.