What is Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, linked to Japan’s wartime atrocities?

What the report says

Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine remains a flashpoint in East Asian politics because it commemorates Japan’s war dead while also enshrining 14 convicted wartime leaders. Al Jazeera reported that the shrine, founded in 1869 under Emperor Meiji, is said to contain the spirits of about 2.5 million people, including soldiers and civilians who died in Japan’s wars. It is one of the country’s most visited religious and memorial sites, yet critics across the region see it as tied to Japan’s imperial-era aggression.

The article said the latest controversy followed visits and offerings by Japanese officials around the 81st anniversary of Japan’s surrender. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited the shrine, while Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not enter the complex but reportedly paid tribute from nearby and sent an offering. Her actions drew criticism from China and South Korea, whose governments said such gestures fail to acknowledge wartime suffering. According to the report, Beijing lodged a strong protest and Seoul expressed deep regret.

Al Jazeera noted that the dispute dates back to 1978, when leaders convicted by postwar tribunals were added to the shrine’s records. The shrine has since become a recurring source of diplomatic strain, especially because it sits alongside broader unresolved memories of Japan’s wartime conduct in China and on the Korean peninsula. Those historical grievances continue to shape relations with neighbouring countries, even as some Japanese officials say they visit in a personal capacity to honour the dead.