Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering Saturday to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which has been a source of diplomatic friction between Japan and several of its neighbors.
Abe made the offering under the name of the prime minister, the shrine said.
With the offering, the prime minister is likely to refrain from visiting the Shinto shrine during its four-day annual autumn festival, which runs through Tuesday. Abe is currently preparing for talks with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts.