Overview

• Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent a private masakaki offering to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on April 21, 2025, during its annual spring festival.
• The shrine honors 2.46 million Japanese war dead, including 14 convicted Class A war criminals from World War II, sparking regional tensions.
• South Korea's Foreign Ministry expressed deep disappointment and urged Japan to demonstrate sincere reflection and atonement for its wartime actions.
• A bipartisan group of Japanese lawmakers visited the shrine in person, further intensifying criticism from South Korea and China.
• Ishiba refrained from visiting the shrine personally, a decision reportedly made to avoid straining ties with Seoul and Beijing, according to Japanese media.