Japan holds ceremony in Tokyo to commemorate those who lost their lives in World War II

📌 Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attend the ceremony

📌 Takaichi also sends a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine, where the graves of senior military figures tried for World War II war crimes are located

China condemns Takaichi’s offering to the shrine and visits by Cabinet ministers

📌 Yasukuni Shrine became controversial after its priests recognized 14 Class-A World War II war criminals buried there as ‘sacred’ in 1978

📌 High-level visits to the shrine, seen by neighboring countries such as China and South Korea as a ‘symbol of Japan’s past militarism,’ draw criticism from those countries