Premier made offering to shrine
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made an offering last month to a war shrine that many in Asia consider a symbol of Japan’s past militarism, but he stopped short of visiting the memorial.
Abe’s decision to make an offering to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine without paying a visit appeared aimed at keeping a rapprochement with China on track while giving a nod to his conservative supporters.
Abe offered a potted masakaki tree labeled with the words “prime minister” to mark Yasukuni’s spring festival, a spokeswoman for the shrine said.
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