TOKYO: Prime Minister SUGA Yoshihide sent a ritual offering to war-related Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Saturday, as he is expected to refrain from visiting the shrine during its autumn festival until Sunday.

The “masakaki” tree offering was made in his capacity as prime minister. As his immediate predecessor, Shinzo Abe, had taken such an action, Suga followed suit.

Masakaki offerings were also presented by House of Representatives Speaker Tadamori Oshima, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Norihisa Tamura and Shinji Inoue, minister of state for science and technology policy.

Past visits by Japan’s prime minister and other cabinet members to Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A World War II criminals are enshrined among other war dead, had each time provoked a fierce backlash from China and South Korea.

Aiming to build stable relations with neighboring countries, Suga appears to show his consideration for them by stopping short of visiting the shrine.

JIJI Press