Japan's Kishida sends offering to controversial Tokyo shrine
The Hindu
After China and the Koreas reacted with outrage to a visit to Yasukuni by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2013, Japanese leaders have avoided visiting the shrine while in office
Japan’s new Prime Minister donated ritual offerings on October 17 to a Tokyo shrine viewed by Chinese and Koreans as a symbol of Japanese wartime aggression, though he did not make a visit in person.
Mr. Kishida donated “masakaki” religious ornaments to mark Yasukuni Shrine's autumn festival. It was the first such observance by Mr. Kishida since he took office on October 4.
Victims of Japanese aggression during the first half of the 20th century, especially Chinese and Koreans, see the shrine as a symbol of Japan’s militarism because it honours convicted World War II criminals among about 2.5 million war dead.
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