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           Japan's Abe Sends Ritual Offering to Controversial Shrine

   by VOA News

   Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to a Tokyo
   shrine that many of Japan's neighbors see as a symbol of the country's
   imperialist past.

   Abe sent a traditional potted plant to the Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday,
   the first day of a three-day spring festival, officials at the shrine
   said.

   The prime minister's offering is likely to upset many in China and
   South Korea, two main victims of Japan's pre-World War Two colonial
   aggression.

   But the offering means Abe is likely to refrain from visiting the
   Shinto shrine, a move that would have drawn much harsher criticism.

   The central Tokyo religious facility honors 2.5 million of Japan's war
   dead, including several convicted war criminals from World War Two.

   Abe last visited the facility in 2013. He defended the move by saying
   it is natural for him to pay respects to the country's war dead.

   Many Koreans and Chinese see the visits as evidence that Abe's
   conservative government is unrepentant for atrocities committed in
   their countries.

   Analysts will be watching closely later this week when Abe is expected
   to make remarks at an Asia-Africa summit in Indonesia.

   There has been speculation in Japanese media about whether Abe will use
   the summit to offer an apology for past Japanese behavior, as his
   successor, Junichiro Koizumi, did in 2005.

   Abe is also expected to address the issue when he makes a high-profile
   speech next week to a joint session of the U.S. Congress in Washington.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/japans-abe-sends-ritual-offering-to-c
   ontroversial-shrine/2728291.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/japans-abe-sends-ritual-offering-to-controversial-shrine/2728291.html