Japan’s Abe visits war shrine, days after leaving office

Shinzo Abe, who stepped down this week as Japan's prime minister, yesterday visited a war shrine seen by neighbouring countries as a symbol of Tokyo's past militarism. Abe last visited the controversial shrine in December 2013, sparking fury from wartime foes Beijing and Seoul and earning a rare diplomatic rebuke from close ally the United States. Abe posted a picture of himself in a dark suit walking along a wooden corridor at the shrine in central Tokyo on Saturday, escorted by a Shinto priest in a white robe. "Today, I paid my respects at the Yasukuni Shrine and reported to the spirits of the war dead my resignation as prime minister," the nationalist politician tweeted. Yasukuni honours 2.5 million war dead, mostly Japanese, who perished in the country's wars since the late 19th century.

Source: Reuters