AFP-JIJI

PM Ishiba Makes Ritual Offering at Yasukuni Shrine

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba

Jiji Press

11:32 JST, April 21, 2025

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba made a ritual “masakaki” tree offering to Yasukuni Shrine at the start of the war-related Tokyo shrine’s spring festival on Monday.

Ishiba has no plans to visit the Shinto shrine during the three-day festival, according to people familiar with the matter.

The shrine is regarded by neighboring countries as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism as it honors Class-A World War II criminals along with the war dead.

House of Representatives Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga, House of Councillors President Masakazu Sekiguchi, health minister Takamaro Fukuoka and economic security minister Minoru Kiuchi also offered masakaki trees to the shrine.

Ishiba made a masakaki offering to the shrine during its autumn festival in October last year. During the event, visits to the shrine by his cabinet ministers were not confirmed.

No sitting prime minister has visited the shrine since Shinzo Abe in December 2013. The visit drew criticism from China and South Korea and disappointment from the United States.