On the morning of the 17th, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, in conjunction with the Yasukuni Shrine’s autumn festival, offered a ritual offering called “masakaki” to the shrine in the name of the Prime Minister.
The Yasukuni Shrine Autumn Grand Festival will continue from the 17th to the 19th.
Sources revealed that Ishiba will not visit Yasukuni Shrine to pay his respects during the autumn festival.
According to AFP, a Japanese official said that Sanae Takaichi, the Liberal Democratic Party chief actively seeking to become Japan's next prime minister, also offered a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine. However, in order to avoid provoking dissatisfaction among neighboring Asian countries, she is not expected to pay her respects at the shrine.
Members of the cross-party parliamentary alliance “Parliamentary League for Everyone’s Visit to Yasukuni Shrine” made a collective visit to the shrine.
When Takaichi served as cabinet minister, she would visit Yasukuni Shrine every August 15 on the anniversary of the end of World War II, as well as during the spring and autumn festivals. As visiting the shrine in her capacity as the Liberal Democratic Party’s president may trigger opposition from China and South Korea, Takaichi may be aiming to avoid sparking diplomatic issues.
Since becoming prime minister, Ishiba has also offered masakaki during last year's autumn festival and this year's spring festival in April. On the anniversary of the end of the war, he made a personal “tamagushiryo” (offering fee) as LDP president, but did not visit the shrine.
● Prime Minister Nomination Election to Be Held on the 21st
In addition, on the morning of the 17th, Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party held talks and agreed to hold a prime minister nomination election on the 21st to choose a successor to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.