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6d ago

Japanese PM Sends Ritual Offering to Controversial Yasukuni Shrine

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and senior officials mark spring festival at a shrine tied to wartime history, drawing regional criticism.

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This AFP photo shows the entrance to Yasukuni Shrine in central Tokyo on March 31, 2025. (Yonhap)
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Overview

  • Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent a masakaki tree offering to Yasukuni Shrine on April 21, 2025, for its spring festival but will not visit in person.
  • The shrine honors 14 Class-A World War II war criminals alongside millions of war dead, making it a contentious symbol of Japan's wartime legacy.
  • Senior officials, including the House of Representatives Speaker and health minister, also made offerings during the three-day event.
  • China and South Korea view Yasukuni Shrine as a symbol of Japan's past militarism and regularly criticize such actions by Japanese leaders.
  • No sitting prime minister has visited the shrine since Shinzo Abe's 2013 visit, which drew international backlash, including from the United States.