TOKYO, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Saturday performed a remote act of worship toward the notorious Yasukuni Shrine, a symbol of the country's militarism and wartime aggression, from nearby instead of visiting in person, local media reported.
On the 81st anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender in World War II, upon arriving at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan hall to attend her first war memorial ceremony since taking office last year, Takaichi turned toward Yasukuni Shrine across the road and bowed twice, clapped twice and bowed once in an apparent act of Shinto worship from a distance, Kyodo News reported.
Before her premiership, Takaichi used to visit the war-linked shrine during its seasonal festivals and the Aug. 15 anniversary.
Earlier in the day, Takaichi made a "tamagushi" ritual offering to the controversial shrine in her capacity as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, while several cabinet ministers and senior politicians paid visits there, triggering strong criticism from peace advocates in Japan.
Yasukuni Shrine, located in central Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II. For a long time, visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese officials to the controversial shrine have consistently sparked criticism and opposition both at home and abroad, hurting the feelings of the people of China, South Korea, and other countries and regions brutalized by Japan during the war. ■