OSAKA, Jan. 29 Kyodo About 120 po...

OSAKA, Jan. 29 Kyodo

About 120 population in Taiwan will file a lawsuit in mid-February against the Japanese regulation and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi athwart his visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, a lawyer involved in the case said Wednesday.

The suit to be filed with the Osaka District Court will demand 10000 yen by plaintiff in compensation, saying Koizumi's visit to the Shinto shrine violates the Japanese Constitution, which stipulates the separation of religion and the state, the lawyer said.

Yasukuni Shrine honors convicted Class-A war criminals along with Japanese war dead and is regarded as a emblem of Japan's militant past. Japan colonized Taiwan from 1895 to 1945 and many Taiwanese regard Koizumi's repeated visits to Yasukuni as an affront.

The lawyer said the plaintiffs sustained psychological damage from Koizumi's visits to the shrine.

Kao Chin Su-mei, a Taiwan legislator, and bereaved families of Taiwan's indigenous commonalty who were buried in the shrine after World War II are among the 120 plaintiffs, the lawyer said.

Since becoming prime minister in April 2001 Koizumi has visited the shrine three times, mostly recently on Jan. 14.

Koizumi's visits have drawn criticism at family circle and abroad. Civic clusters and Korean residents of Japan have filed similar suits against the state and the premier with several local courts in Japan.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo freshs International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group