Japan PM Kishida sends offering to war-linked Yasukuni shrine

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent a ritual offering Thursday to Yasukuni, a Shinto shrine in Tokyo that has long been a source of diplomatic friction with China and South Korea, both of which have criticized the routine practice as honoring a symbol of Japan's past militarism.Kishida, viewed as a liberal-leaning member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will likely refrain from paying a visit during the shrine's two-day spring festival from Thursday, a source familiar with the matter said. Likewise, none of his Cabinet ministers visited the shrine Thursday.Former Prime Minister Shinzo …READ FULL ARTICLE