Japan's Abe sends offering to Yasukuni shrine on World War II anniversary

[TOKYO] Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine for war dead on Wednesday, the anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender.

Past visits by Japanese leaders to Yasukuni have outraged China and South Korea because the shrine honours 14 Japanese wartime leaders convicted as war criminals by an Allied tribunal, along with war dead.

Ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Masahiko Shibayama made the offering on Mr Abe's behalf. Mr Abe has only visited the shrine in person once since taking office in 2012 but has previously sent offerings.

China's relations with Japan have long been haunted by what Beijing sees as Tokyo's failure to atone for its occupation of parts of China before and during World War II. Japan occupied Korea from 1910-1945.

REUTERS