Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine.

Kyodo News said on Friday that Kishida sent the “Masakaki” offering under his title as the prime minister earlier in the day to mark the beginning of the shrine’s two-day spring festival.

Kyodo said that Kishida is unlikely to visit the shrine in person for this latest occasion, continuing the trend he started since taking office in October 2021 of sending an offering to the shrine for biannual festivals in the spring and fall in lieu of visiting himself.

The shrine, which honors Japan's war dead and includes 14 Class-A war criminals, is considered a symbol of Japan's military aggression, and visits by state leaders are often protested by neighboring South Korea and China.