A Japanese court ruled Thursday that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit in 2001 to a war criminal-enshrined shrine was an official activity, but stopped short of saying the visit was unconstitutional.

The Chiba District Court also rejected the plaintiffs' compensation demand for 6.3 million yen (61,000 US dollars).

Honoring Japan's World War II Class-A war criminals as well as the war dead, the shrine is widely regarded as a symbol of militarism.

Koizumi first visited the shrine in August 2001, shortly after he started serving his first term.

The lawsuit was filed in December that year by 63 plaintiffs, who argued that the visit violated their constitutional right to freedom of religion, thought and conscience, and sought compensation from the state and Koizumi. They are moving toward appealing the ruling.

Koizumi kept visiting the shrine after that, triggering sharp criticism from Asian countries which suffered bitterly during Japan's aggression.

There have been six suits against Koizumi's visit. The Fukuoka District Court ruled in April that the visit was against the constitution.