Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday visited Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, viewed as a symbol of Japan's past militarism by its Asian neighbors, in his second trip there in as many months since stepping down as leader, sources close to the matter said.

The latest visit by Abe, who resigned in mid-September for health reasons, came after his successor Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga sent a ritual offering of a masakaki tree to Yasukuni on Saturday to celebrate the Shinto shrine's biannual festival held in the spring and fall.

"I visited the shrine to show my sincere respect to the spirits of the war dead," Abe said, according to the sources.