Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Thursday.
He is not expected to visit the shrine in person to mark the anniversary of the country's surrender in World War Two.
It's the 7th straight year Abe sent offerings on the day.
The shrine honors Japan's war dead including 14 Class-A war criminals.
For Korea and China, it's regarded as a symbol of Japan's past imperialism and Abe faced a strong backlash for paying respect at the shrine in 2013.
