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2w ago

Lawmakers Visit Yasukuni After Takaichi’s Offering, Drawing Protests From China and South Korea

The actions keep a long-running dispute over the shrine at the center of regional politics.

A wooden plaque showing the name of Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is placed near a Masakaki tree that Takaichi sent as a ritual offering for the war dead at Yasukuni Shrine, seen by China and South Korea as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, during the shrine's biannual festival held in the spring and autumn, in Tokyo, Japan, April 21, 2026. REUTERS/Issei Kato
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Overview

  • Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who sent a ritual masakaki offering Tuesday, skipped an in-person visit to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine.
  • More than 120 lawmakers visited the shrine Wednesday during its spring festival, and Cabinet minister Minoru Kiuchi also paid respects in a separate visit.
  • South Korea expressed deep disappointment over the offering and visits, and China said Japan has failed to reflect on its history of militarist aggression.
  • Japanese police arrested a 64-year-old South Korean man Wednesday after he tried to hang protest banners near vehicles carrying imperial messengers to the shrine.
  • Japan’s top spokesman said Takaichi acted in a private capacity, a stance that has not eased regional anger over Yasukuni, which honors 2.4–2.5 million war dead including 14 Class-A war criminals, with the debate sharpened by tensions since Takaichi’s 2025 Taiwan remarks.