Japan PM Abe to meet son of Indian WW2 trial judge

TOKYO, Aug 14 (Reuters) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said today he would meet the son of an Indian judge who opposed punishing Japanese war criminals convicted by an Allied tribunal, a move likely to refuel debate about his views on wartime history.

Abe denied the meeting, to be held next week when he visits India, would invite protest from Asian countries that suffered under Japan's aggression during World War Two.

The 52-year-old Abe, the first prime minister born after the war, caused an uproar in March after saying there was no proof the Japanese government or military had forced women -- mostly Asian -- to work at wartime brothels.

He has since reiterated that he stands by a 1993 government apology to the women, but Abe has in the past questioned the legitimacy of the Allied tribunal and made visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honours some of the convicted war criminals along with Japan's war dead.

''Judge Pal has ties to Japan. I am looking forward to hearing stories about his father,'' Abe told reporters, referring to the meeting with the son of Radhabinod Pal, who was on the 11-judge panel of the Allied tribunal and the only one to voice dissent.

Pal said the tribunal was judgment of the vanquished by the victors -- a point shared by some historians and jurists.

Although he also said there was overwhelming evidence of atrocities committed by the Japanese military, he is revered by Japanese nationalists.

A monument dedicated to him even stands on the grounds of Yasukuni Shrine, seen by many in Asia as a symbol of Japan's wartime militarism.

Abe has moved to mend ties with China and South Korea, visiting the two countries within weeks of taking office in September, and has stuck to a strategy of refusing to say whether he will visit Yasukuni while in office.

Many analysts say he is unlikely to pay respects there tomorrow, the emotive anniversary of Japan's World War Two surrender, which could reverse gains in Tokyo's ties with its Asian neighbours.

Relations with Beijing and Seoul turned icy under Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, largely due to his annual visits to Yasukuni.

Abe will visit India from August 21 as part of an Asian tour that also takes him to Indonesia and Malaysia.

REUTERS SBC BST1815