Japanese ministers visit Yasukuni war shrine

TOKYO: Two cabinet ministers visited Japan's Yasukuni war shrine on Sunday, paying their respects at a venue seen by neighbouring countries as a symbol of Tokyo's militarist past.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a passionate supporter of the shrine, made a ritual offering on Saturday but is thought unlikely to visit in person.
He is due to hold talks next month with the leaders of China and South Korea, countries that bore the brunt of Japanese military aggression in the 20th century.
South Korea reacted angrily to the latest visits and Abe's offering, saying the actions whitewash Japan's past aggression.
Sanae Takaichi, the internal affairs minister and a close associate of Abe, was among those visiting the shrine — which honours Japan's war dead including several senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes.
Justice Minister Mitsuhide Iwaki went separately to Yasukuni, which is now hosting its regular autumn festival.
"I visited the shrine in order to express my gratitude to the sacred spirits of those who fought and sacrificed their precious lives for the country," Iwaki told reporters.
"This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the (World War II). I came here to renew my thoughts for peace."
Iwaki joined the cabinet this month.
South Korea's foreign ministry slammed the visits and the ritual offerings.
"The repeated practice ... is synonymous with efforts to glorify Japan's colonial aggression and war and runs counter to our efforts to improve bilateral ties through a trilateral summit among South Korea, China and Japan," it said in a statement.
"We'd like to point out that South Korea and Japan will be able to achieve stable development of relations sought by the public in both countries only when Japan demonstrates sincere self-reflection and remorse through actions based on the correct recognition of its history," it said.
Abe is preparing to meet on November 1 with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts for their first trilateral talks since 2012.
He is also expected to hold his first official bilateral meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye on the sidelines of the three-way summit.
Abe and other nationalists say the Yasukuni shrine is merely a place to remember fallen soldiers and compare it to Arlington National Cemetery in the United States.
Abe has visited the shrine once before during his time in office, in December 2013. That sparked anger in Asia and a diplomatic slap on the wrist from the United States, which said it was "disappointed".
Scores of conservative lawmakers, possibly including cabinet ministers, are expected to visit Yasukuni to mark the autumn festival on Tuesday. — AFP