Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to historical Yasukuni Shrine on Monday to mark the anniversary of Japan's World War Two defeat, Reuters reported.

"This was out of respect to those who gave their lives for the country," said Yasutoshi Nishimura, an aide to Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), who presented the offering.

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Visits to the Yasukuni Shrine by Japan's top politician often enrages China and South Korea, who see it as a symbol of Japan's wartime atrocities. Both countries allege that the shrine honors Japanese soldiers, some of whom are convicted war criminals.

Last month, China was also irked by the appointment of nationalist defense minister Tomomi Inada, who firmly believes in amending Japan's post-war pacifist constitution. After her appointment, Inada ducked a question on the infamous Nanjing massacre, which infuriating China.       

Inada is one of the regular visitors to Yasukuni Shrine. However, Inada may not able to visit the shrine this time, as she would be visiting troops in Djibouti.                   

China and Japan's diplomatic relation has been haunted by the painful legacy of World War 2, with China accusing Tokyo of not acknowledging its wartime crimes. The bilateral relationship between both nations has been equally affected by maritime disputes in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

TagsYasukuni Shrine, South China Sea, Shinzo Abe, China and Japan