In a move likely to draw fresh criticism from China and South Korea, three members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet visited the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine Saturday, the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
The three who paid homage to the war dead enshrined there, which includes Class-A war criminals, were Haruko Arimura, minister in charge of women's empowerment, Sanae Takaichi, minister of internal affairs and communications and Eriko Yamatani, minister in charge of the issue of Japanese abducted by North Korea.
"I offered my prayer in the hopes that Japan will continue to make efforts to contribute to the safety and peace of the world," Arimura said, adding she offered tamagushi-ryo, which is money to pay for a sacred tree branch.