"Since the end of the war, Japan has consistently walked the path of a country that values peace," Suga said in a speech at a memorial ceremony in Tokyo. Earlier on Sunday members of Suga's cabinet, as well as Abe, visited Yasukuni, gestures likely to anger China and both Koreas. Yasukuni honours Japan's war dead, including 14 World War Two leaders convicted as "Class A" war criminals, making it a flashpoint for tension. Abe visited Yasukuni as prime minister in 2013, leading to anger from Beijing and Seoul and an expression of "disappointment" from the United States. He did not go again as prime minister, sending ritual offerings instead.

Source: The Edge Markets August 15, 2021 03:32 UTC