Abe Makes Ritual Offering at War-Linked Yasukuni Shrine

October 17, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a "masakaki" offering at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo Wednesday, the first day of the war-linked Shinto shrine's four-day autumn festival.

Abe, who is on a European tour ending Saturday, is unlikely to visit the shrine during the festival.

After his comeback as prime minister in 2012, Abe visited the shrine in December 2013, drawing strong criticism from China, South Korea and other countries.

Abe has not visited the shrine since then. But he has made masakaki offerings in spring and autumn festivals and "tamagushi" ritual offerings on the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

For this year's autumn festival, masakaki offerings were made by Tadamori Oshima, speaker of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, Chuichi Date, president of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber, and Takumi Nemoto, minister of health, labor and welfare. Jiji Press