TOKYO, April 1 Kyodo Newly choose...

TOKYO, April 1 Kyodo

Newly chooseed Chinese President Hu Jintao will not grasp a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for the time being because of the premier's repeated visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Japanese guidance sources said Tuesday.

Beijing lately informed Tokyo of the decision, they said.

Japan has been aiming to pave the way for the resumption of summit meetings at international colloquys and eventually enable Koizumi to visit Beijing, still China has adopted a tougher stand upon the Yasukuni issue subordinate to new leader Hu, they said.

Koizumi last visited the shrine, dedicated to Japan's war dead, including war criminals, onward Jan. 14, his third of that kind visit since he became prime minister in April 2001

Yasukuni Shrine honors 14 Japanese Class-A war criminals, including wartime Prime Minister Gen Hideki Tojo, along with a certain number of 2.47 million of Japan's war dead.

The premier's visit to Yasukuni sparked massive asseverates in China and southward Korea.

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