Japanese PM Ishiba sends offering to Yasukuni Shrine, unlikely to visit amid Seoul, Beijing backlash

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent a ritual offering to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on this Monday as the shrine began its three-day annual spring festival.

A similar offering was made during the autumn festival last year.

The Japanese leader is reportedly not expected to make an in-person visit in light of concerns of a potential backlash from South Korea and China.

The shrine honors 14 convicted Class A Japanese war criminals from the Second World War.

The last sitting Japanese prime minister to visit the shrine in person was Shinzo Abe in 2013.