Ishiba Not to Visit Yasukuni Shrine during Spring Festival

   Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has no plans to visit Yasukuni Shrine during the war-related Tokyo shrine's spring festival next week, people close to him said Friday.
   Instead, Ishiba plans to make a ritual "masakaki" tree offering to the Shinto shrine as he did during its autumn festival in October.
   The spring festival is scheduled for Monday through Wednesday.
   The shrine is regarded by neighboring countries as a symbol of Japan's past militarism as it honors Class-A World War II criminals along with the war dead.
   No cabinet ministers were confirmed to have visited the shrine during the autumn festival.

(2025/04/18-16:33)