For the first time since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's return to power in 2012, no ministers from his Cabinet visited the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday, the 72nd anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

Cabinet ministers' visits to the shrine, which honors 2.46 million war dead including 12 convicted Class-A war criminals, have been strongly criticized by Japan's neighbors, namely China and South Korea, causing ties to sour. But sometimes conservative ministers opt to make the visit to pay their respects.

However, due in large part to a recent Cabinet shake-up, the Abe Cabinet now has fewer ministers who have visited the shrine in the past, and even those who normally do visit refrained this year.