Abe to make ritual offering at Yasukuni

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will reportedly make a ritual offering at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on the 68th anniversary of Japan's surrender during World War II on Thursday instead of paying a visit.

However, the fine line taken by Abe is still deemed unacceptable by neighboring countries such as China and South Korea, who have been the most watchful toward the sensitive occasion in recent years as Tokyo slips further to the right under the hawkish Abe administration.

Japanese broadcaster NHK Wednesday quoted sources close to Abe as saying that the Prime Minister has decided not to visit the Yasukuni shrine, which honors Class-A war criminals, on Thursday, but will instead use his own money to pay for an offering of a branch of a sacred tree.

Sources said Abe wanted to prevent already rocky relations with China and South Korea, both victims of Japan's war acts, from worsening.

Beijing and Seoul have paid great attention to Thursday's anniversary, given it is the first such anniversary after the Liberal Democratic Party regained power.

Toh Lam-seng, Professor Emeritus at Japan's Ryukoku University, told the Global Times Wednesday that regardless of whether Abe personally visits there or not, his basic attitude was made clear long ago.

Abe did not visit Yasukuni during his previous term as prime minister from 2006 to 2007, an omission that he later described as "extremely regrettable," as the Japan Times reported.

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