Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering on Tuesday to Tokyo's war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, which has been a source of diplomatic friction between Japan and several of its Asian neighbors.

Abe, who is scheduled to leave for Indonesia later in the day to attend an international conference, is likely to refrain from visiting the Shinto shrine during its three-day annual spring festival through Thursday.

By dedicating a masakaki tree offering, Abe apparently hopes to appease his conservative supporters who want him to pay a visit to the shrine, while leaving room for improving ties with China and South Korea.