The South Korean government expressed deep regret on Thursday over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's decision earlier in the day to send a ritual offering to Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni Shrine.<br />Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Abe made the offering in his capacity as a private citizen, but did not visit the shrine in person.<br />It's the seventh straight year Abe has sent offerings to mark the country's 1945 surrender in World War Two.<br />About 50 right-wing lawmakers from ruling and opposition parties also paid their respect at the shrine.<br />The shrine honors Japan's war dead including 14 Class-A war criminals.<br />For Korea and China, it's regarded as a symbol of Japan's past imperialism.<br />
