TOKYO (Kyodo) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, seen by Asian neighbors as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism, as its two-day spring festival began Tuesday.
The “masakaki” tree offering was made under the name of the prime minister, as was the case in recent festivals at the Shinto shrine, which honors convicted war criminals along with more than 2.4 million war dead. Abe is expected to refrain from visiting the shrine during the festival.
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