Japanese PM sends monetary offering to war-linked Yasukuni Shrine

TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a monetary offering to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine on Monday, local media reported.

Takaichi made the offering to the shrine in Tokyo, a symbol of Japanese militarism and wartime aggression, for its autumn festival through senior officials of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Kyodo News reported.

On the same day, land minister Tatsunori Ibayashi visited the notorious shrine, which honors 14 convicted Japanese Class-A war criminals from World War II, as did LDP election chief Yasutoshi Nishimura and a cross-party lawmakers' group.

Yasukuni Shrine has long been a source of diplomatic friction between Japan and its neighbors. Visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese officials to the controversial shrine have consistently sparked criticism and opposition both at home and abroad.