Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent tribute to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine on Thursday,... the first day of Japan's annual autumn festival.
Reports say Abe sent a Masakaki ritual offering instead of visiting the site in Tokyo.
The Yasukuni shrine commemorates more than 2-point-4 million Japanese war dead, including 14 class-A war criminals.
It has been source of tension between Japan and neighboring countries that suffered from Japan's past aggressions.
In 2013, Abe visited the site, prompting strong complaints from South Korea and China, who saw it as an attempt to justify Japan's wartime atrocities.
