Japanese lawmakers visit war-linked Yasukuni Shrine

A group of Japanese lawmakers from various parties on Thursday visited the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo during its annual autumn festival.

The shrine, viewed as a symbol of Japan’s wartime militarism by neighbouring countries, has been a source of diplomatic friction with China and South Korea, which suffered Japan’s wartime brutality. The shrine honours convicted war criminals along with millions of war dead.

The visit came a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a ritual offering to Yasukuni, instead of visiting the shrine in person.