Taiwan's Lee to visit Tokyo's Yasukuni war shrine

TOKYO, June 7 (Reuters) Former Taiwan president Lee Teng-hui, despised by Beijing for asserting the self-ruled island's sovereignty, said he would pay his respects at a Tokyo war shrine today despite China's objections.

Lee's visit could cast a cloud over the recent thaw in Sino-Japanese relations, although he told a press conference before going that his visit to Yasukuni Shrine was a personal matter, not a political one.

Lee, 84, had said since arriving in Japan last week that he wanted to visit the shrine, seen by many in Asia as a symbol of Japan's militarism before and during World War Two.

The shrine honours millions of Japanese war dead -- among them soldiers from Taiwan and Korea who fought for Japan, their colonial ruler at the time -- but also some convicted war criminals including wartime prime minister Hideki Tojo.

Lee's older brother died fighting for the Japanese.

China had warned Japan that it risked harming relations by allowing Lee to visit the country, while Tokyo had said Lee's trip was just for tourism and should have no impact on ties with Beijing.

REUTERS JK BST0635