TOKYO, April 23 (UPI) -- China said 39 Japanese lawmakers Monday visited Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which is seen as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
The official Xinhua news agency reported 37 of the lawmakers were from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the other two from the opposition Democratic Party of Japan who visited Yasukuni Shrine.
It said the 39 are members of a parliamentary multi-party group that advocates visiting the shrine, which honors more than 2 million Japanese war dead including 14 men charged as Class-A war criminals.
The report said no Japanese Cabinet ministers or vice ministers took part in the visit.
China's relations with Japan were strained because of visits to the shrine by Abe's predecessor. The relations have improved under Abe's leadership.
