Japan’s Kishida Makes Ritual Offering at Yasukuni Shrine

Jiji Press

17:11 JST, October 17, 2023

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a ritual “masakaki” tree offering at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Tuesday, when the war-related shrine’s three-day autumn festival began.

During the festival, Kishida is unlikely to visit the Shinto shrine, which is regarded as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism especially in the neighboring countries of China and South Korea as it honors Class-A war criminals along with the war dead.

Among ministers of the Kishida cabinet, economic security minister Sanae Takaichi and economic revitalization minister Yoshitaka Shindo visited the shrine Tuesday. Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura paid a visit Monday prior to the festival.