Japanese Cabinet Ministers Visit Notorious Yasukuni Shrine

The offering comes ahead of a planned trilateral summit with South Korea and China set to be held in early November in Seoul.

Coinciding with the start of the four-day autumn festival, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe donated a sacred “masakaki” tree bearing his name to the contentious war shrine.

Seoul’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the repetition of Abe’s offering making and cabinet ministers’ paying respect to the shrine “has no difference from glorifying Japan’s past colonization and war of aggression”.

Joining the Japanese navy were vessels from India, South Korea, Australia, France and the United States, including the Japan-based aircraft carrier, the 333 meter (1092.52 ft) long USS Ronald Reagan.

Justice Minister Mitsuhide Iwaki went separately to Yasukuni, which is now hosting its regular autumn festival.

“This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the (World War II)”.

“By highly hoisting the flag of proactive pacifism, I’m determined to contribute more than ever to world peace and prosperity”, Abe said, while urging Japanese troops to “further fulfill your duties in order to hand over to children a warless and peaceful Japan”.

Iwaki joined the cabinet this month.

Neighboring China, which has strained ties with several Southeast Asian countries over territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea, has said it is wary of Japan’s changing defense posture.

Nationalists, including many Japanese MPs, maintain that the shrine is merely a place to remember millions of fallen soldiers who died for the state.

Though he has not gone to the Shrine personally, Abe’s offering has drawn criticism from the South Korean government.

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 has visited the shrine once before during his time in office, in December 2013.