Japan ministers visit controversial war shrine on World War Two anniversary

Japan marked the anniversary on Thursday of its defeat in World War Two with visits by at least three cabinet ministers to the controversial Yasukuni shrine that other Asian nations see as a symbol of the country's wartime aggression. 

Defence Minister Minoru Kihara, Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, and Yoshitaka Shindo, the economic revitalisation chief, visited the site in Tokyo, the capital.

Fourteen prominent convicted war criminals, including wartime prime minister Hideki Tojo, are among the 2.5 million war dead honoured at the shrine.

The visits are the first by senior government officials since Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed with U.S. President Joe Biden to pursue deeper security ties.