Japanese PM sends offering to notorious war-linked Yasukuni Shrine
15 Aug 2023 02:38pm
Men wearing uniforms of former Japanese soldiers visit the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on August 15, 2023, to mark the 78th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II in 1945 - AFP
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Kishida sent the "masakaki" offering to the shrine, a symbol of Japan's past brutal militarism, in his capacity as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
While Kishida has not visited the notorious shrine in person, one of his cabinet members, economic security minister Sanae Takaichi paid homage at the shrine.
Koichi Hagiuda, chairperson of the LDP's Policy Research Council, also visited the shrine on Tuesday.
The Yasukuni Shrine, located in central Tokyo, honours 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II. It has long been a source of diplomatic friction for Japan and its neighbours.
Visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese officials to the controversial shrine have consistently sparked criticism and hurt the feelings of the people of China, South Korea and other countries brutalised by Japan during the war. - BERNAMA
