Japan’s Takaichi sends offering to controversial Yasukuni war shrine | South China Morning Post            (https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3371219/japans-takaichi-sends-offering-controversial-yasukuni-war-shrine)                                        (../../../../../static/manifest.json)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/favicon.ico)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-192x192.png)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-256x256.png)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-192x192.png)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-192x192.png)  (https://amp.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3371219/japans-takaichi-sends-offering-controversial-yasukuni-war-shrine)  (https://apigw.scmp.com)  (https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn.i-scmp.com)  (https://img.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn1.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn2.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn3.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdn4.i-scmp.com)  (https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com)  (https://ad-tech.scmp.com)  (https://c.amazon-adsystem.com)  (https://cdn.keywee.co)  (https://cdn.mouseflow.com)  (https://cdn.opecloud.com)  (https://cdn.petametrics.com)  (https://connect.facebook.com)  (https://fonts.gstatic.com)  (https://js-sec.indexww.com)  (https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net)  (https://widgets.scmp.com)  (https://www.doubleclickbygoogle.com)  (https://www.facebook.com)  (https://www.google-analytics.com)  (https://www.googleadservices.com)  (https://www.google.com)  (https://www.googletagmanager.com)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/4a9777f1b0526d0c.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/024d37ad54557c14.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/127ae35205af64c7.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/bd5ebf0790610eb8.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/a070c9513bea1763.css)    (../../../../../../fonts.googleapis.com/icon@family=Material+Icons&display=swap.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/4a9777f1b0526d0c.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/024d37ad54557c14.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/127ae35205af64c7.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/bd5ebf0790610eb8.css)  (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/a070c9513bea1763.css)       (https://www.scmp.com/?module=masthead&pgtype=article)                                   Advertisement     (https://www.scmp.com/topics/japan?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article) Japan  (https://www.scmp.com/news/asia?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article) Asia   (https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article) East Asia    Japan’s Takaichi sends offering to controversial Yasukuni war shrine   Takaichi, who routinely visited the Shinto shrine before becoming prime minister, has refrained from doing so since taking over the helm       2-MIN READ 2-MIN             1                    Listen            (The “masakaki” ritual offering sent by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is displayed on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo)                    (https://www.scmp.com/author/kyodo) Kyodo   Published: 8:33am, 17 Oct 2026 Updated: 1:23pm, 17 Oct 2026     Prime Minister (https://www.scmp.com/topics/sanae-takaichi?module=inline&pgtype=article) () Sanae Takaichi  on Saturday sent a ritual offering to (https://www.scmp.com/topics/yasukuni-shrine?module=inline&pgtype=article) () Yasukuni Shrine  in Tokyo, regarded by Japan’s neighbours as a symbol of the country’s past militarism, at the start of its three-day autumn festival. Takaichi, known as a conservative who routinely visited the Shinto shrine before becoming prime minister a year ago, was unlikely to visit the shrine during the festival, a source close to her said, amid strained relations with China and relatively stable ties with (https://www.scmp.com/topics/south-korea?module=inline&pgtype=article) () South Korea  . The shrine honours Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals by a post-(https://www.scmp.com/topics/world-war-ii?module=inline&pgtype=article) () World War II  international tribunal, along with millions of war dead, and has long been a source of diplomatic friction with China and South Korea.   Takaichi sent a “masakaki” offering of evergreen twigs to the shrine for the biannual event in her capacity as prime minister, following the practice of her predecessors.                                       Select Voice           Select Speed     (0.8)    0.8x  (0.9)    0.9x  (1)     1.0x  (1.1)    1.1x  (1.2)    1.2x  (1.5)    1.5x  (1.75)    1.75x      00:00 (0)  00:00             1x  AI-generated voice