The Japanese Prime Minister risked the wrath of his country’s near neighbours today by visiting a shrine for war dead seen by critics as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism.

China and South Korea expressed their "disappointment" at Junichiro Koizumi’s annual trip to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine where 14 Class A war criminals are honoured alongside the nation’s other war dead.

Since taking office in 2001 Mr Koizumi has revived the custom, abandoned by Japan's prime ministers in the 1980s, of paying an annual visit to the shrine. Today’s visit came despite a ruling by Osaka High Court last month that his visits were unconsitutional.

In a recent interview with The Times, Mr Koizumi gave the impression that he would visit Yasukuni before the end of the year and said that China was oppossing his visits for political reasons. He denied that under his leadership Japan is undergoing a resurgence of nationalism.

Japanese officials said the premier, who was dressed in a dark suit rather than the traditional Japanese garb he has worn on previous visits, was not making the pilgrimage as part of his official duties but to express his personal grief over the war dead.

In the aftermath of the visit share prices in Japan dropped and embassy officials in China warned its nationals to watch out for anti-Japanese protests.

The Chinese ambassador to Japan ,Wang Yi, called the visit a "grave provocation to the people of China", according to the Kyodo news agency.

South Korea’s foreign minister, Ban Ki-Moon, summoned Japan’s ambassador, Shotaro Oshima, after Mr Koizumi’s visit and told him: "The South Korean government cannot help feeling deep regret and disappointment over the visit. It is not excessive to say that Prime Minister Koizumi’s visits to the Yasukuni Shrine have been the biggest stumbling block to South Korea-Japan relations.

"We strongly demand that such things never occur again."

During today’s visit Mr Koizumi bowed, put his hands together in prayer and stood silently in front of the shrine for a minute before walking back to his car without speaking to the crowds that had gathered.

Mr Koizumi’s chief cabinet secretary, Hiroyuki Hosoda, told reporters the visit was made in a private capacity while Japanese media reported that the low key atmosphere appeared to be an attempt to stress its unofficial nature and to mute criticism.

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