The plaintiffs demanded that Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine be excluded from their mourning process and that the names of Koreans be removed from its Symbolic Registry of Divinities.

Defense Ministry officials are investigating whether members of the Self-Defense Forces violated regulations concerning religious facilities by visiting war-related Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara visited war-related Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Aug. 15 in a move that provoked a backlash from South Korea. South Korea and China view the shrine as a symbol of ...