Tokyo: The Yasukuni Shrine visit was perhaps the final act of "Koizumi Theatre".

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, set to step down next month, has made waves in Japan's traditionally staid political world with a penchant for performance.

Yesterday, the 64-year-old maverick fulfilled a controversial 2001 pledge to pay his respects on August 15 at Yasukuni.

After sweeping to power in 2001, Koizumi tried to mollify China and South Korea by making a pilgrimage two days ahead of time on August 13, but still met with a furious response.

Known for a stubborn streak, he went on to visit the shrine each year thereafter, but never on the August 15 anniversary.

Eccentric enough to be termed a "weirdo" by a close political ally, Koizumi has long shown a talent for flamboyant gestures that grab public attention.

In 2005, he engineered a landslide victory in a snap poll after members of his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) sided with the opposition to block his plan to privatise the postal system.

Koizumi stripped the rebels of LDP backing and sent hand-picked "assassin" candidates to run against them.

The tactic, an example of what Japanese media came to call "Koizumi Theatre", helped return the LDP to parliament with a greatly increased majority and a band of loyal new lawmakers nicknamed "Koizumi's Children".

Other surprise moves during his tenure included two visits to North Korea for talks with Kim Jong-il, which resulted in the return to Japan of five of 13 Japanese citizens Pyongyang had admitted to abducting in the 1970s and 1980s.

Divorced with three sons, the silver-maned prime minister's media-friendly style also has a more frivolous side.

In June, he stunned his close friend US President George W. Bush with an impromptu Elvis Presley impression in front of the cameras during a tour of the singer's Memphis mansion.

House and office of lawmaker burned

The house and office of a lawmaker critical of Koizumi's visit to a war shrine burned down yesterday, news reports said.

The fire broke yesterday afternoon at the home and office of Koichi Kato in Yamagata prefecture (state), northern Japan, Kyodo News agency reported.

A man thought to be in his 50s or 60s was found collapsed on the premises and bleeding from his abdomen, Kyodo said.

Police suspect arson, according to broadcaster TV Asahi.

The Yamagata police official said he was not authorised to provide details.