Kishida Sends Offering To Yasukuni Shrine, Drawing Protests From S.korea, China

Sources say Kishida had not sent such an offering to the shrine before his inauguration last October. But shortly after he took office, Kishida offered a "masakaki" tree to the shrine during its autumn festival in the same month. The sources say the prime minister followed the precedent set by his two predecessors, Abe Shinzo and Suga Yoshihide.

They say Kishida took a similar step this time, and he will not visit the shrine during the two-day festival.

Yasukuni Shrine honors Japan's war dead. Those remembered at the shrine include leaders convicted of war crimes after World War Two.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement to protest Kishida's offering on Thursday.

The ministry says, "The government expresses deep disappointment and regret over the fact that Japan's responsible leaders have once again sent offerings to and paid respects at the Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan's history of war of aggression and enshrines war criminals."

The South Korean statement adds, "Our government strongly urges Japan's responsible figures to look directly into their country's history, and show through action their humble reflection and sincere remorse of its past history."

Park Jin, who has been nominated as South Korea's next foreign minister by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, told reporters that it is important for Japanese leaders to continue to humbly reflect on their country's past.

China's foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said his country had made a strict protest to Japan regarding the matter.

Wang said Kishida's decision shows once again that Japan has the wrong attitude towards its history of aggression, and that China firmly opposes and severely condemns it. He urged Japan to sincerely reflect on its history of aggression and to seek trust from Asian neighboring nations and the international community through its actions.