Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent an offering Thursday to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo for its annual autumn festival but refrained from visiting amid frayed ties with China and South Korea.
Abe paid for a "masakaki" tree offering traditionally used in Shinto rituals, and presented it as prime minister, by proxy, the shrine and people close to him said.
Abe apparently treaded carefully not to exacerbate ties with China and South Korea further, while taking heed of his conservative support base.
NewsOnJapan
