Four Cabinet ministers separately visited Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, making the first visits by incumbent ministers since 2016 on the anniversary of the end of World War II.
This is the highest number of ministers to visit on the anniversary since the inauguration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's second administration.
The ministers who made the visit were: Sanae Takaichi for internal affairs and communications; Koichi Hagiuda for education, culture, sports, science and technology; Shinjiro Koizumi for environment; and Seiichi Eto, minister of state for Okinawa and Northern Territories affairs.
The four have made annual visits to the shrine on the Aug. 15 anniversary prior to taking office in September last year.
"As a politician, I firmly protect eternal peace for the next generation and renewed my pledge not to fight a war again," Hagiuda told reporters after visiting the shrine. He made a tamagushi ritual offering at his own expense.
Eto was asked about the possibility that the visits may spark backlash from China and South Korea, to which he said, "I prayed for the spirits of the dead as a national event, and it is not something that China or South Korea can make a remark about."
Takaichi visited the shrine as a minister in 2016. "As a Japanese, I would like to continue to express my gratitude to those who sacrificed their lives to protect the nation and its people. This is by no means a diplomatic issue," she said.
-- Abe donates own money
The prime minister did not visit the shrine, but instead made a tamagushi ritual offering at his own expense on the same day. The donation was made under the name "LDP President Shinzo Abe" by Shuichi Takatori, a special advisor to the Liberal Democratic Party president.
After making the offering on behalf of the prime minister, Takatori delivered Abe's message to reporters: "I offer my heartfelt respect and gratitude to the war dead who formed the foundation of today's peace, and I pray for the repose of their spirits and lasting peace."
Abe has not visited the shrine since December 2013, in consideration of such issues as Japan-China relations.
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