The Yasukuni Shrine in Japan stirs new international controversies following visits by high-ranking officials and the sending of a ritual offering by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

The Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates approximately 2.5 million Japanese who died in wars, is extremely controversial due to the inclusion of 14 leaders convicted of war crimes and over 1,000 individuals judged by Allied tribunals after 1945.

Recently, former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Minister for Economic Security, Kimi Onoda, visited the shrine, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering. These actions have been strongly condemned by China, which issued an official protest, and by South Korea, which urged Japanese leaders to take responsibility for the past. Beijing and Seoul believe that these visits minimize Japan's wartime aggressions and affect diplomatic relations.

Japanese officials maintain that the visits are personal, intended to honor the memory of the fallen. The last Japanese prime minister to visit Yasukuni was Shinzo Abe, in 2013.