Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine, a Shinto site that has been at the heart of diplomatic frictions with China and South Korea, which regard it as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
The masakaki offering on the occasion of the Tokyo shrine's spring festival from Thursday comes as Kishida, seen as a liberal-leaning politician in the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is expected to refrain from paying a visit, a source familiar with the matter said.
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