TOKYO, Oct 17, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga sent
a ritual offering Saturday to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine, which is
seen by neighbouring countries as a symbol of the nation’s past militarism,
especially during World War II.
Yasukuni honours some 2.5 million war dead, mostly Japanese, who perished
in the country’s wars since the late 19th century.
But it also honours senior military and political figures convicted of war
crimes by an international tribunal after WWII.
The prime minister sent a sacred “masakaki” tree in the name of the prime
minister at the start of an annual autumn festival, a shrine spokeswoman
said.
Suga, who took office last month, followed a rite conducted by his
nationalist predecessor Shinzo Abe, who also sent ritual offerings to the
shrine in recent years.
But Suga is not expected to make a pilgrimage during the two-day biannual
event, local media reported, as he will start a four-day trip to Vietnam and
Indonesia on Sunday, his first overseas visit as premier.
Abe visited the shrine in 2013, sparking fury from wartime foes China and
South Korea, and earning a rare diplomatic rebuke from close ally the United
States.
Since then, Abe refrained from paying tributes at the shrine in person but
other conservative politicians continued, in particular on August 15 to mark
Japan’s WWII surrender.
Abe visited Yasukuni days after he resigned in September.