Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent tribute to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine on Thursday,... the first day of Japan's annual autumn festival.<br />Reports say Abe sent a Masakaki ritual offering instead of visiting the site in Tokyo.<br />The Yasukuni shrine commemorates more than 2-point-4 million Japanese war dead, including 14 class-A war criminals.<br />It has been source of tension between Japan and neighboring countries that suffered from Japan's past aggressions.<br />In 2013, Abe visited the site, prompting strong complaints from South Korea and China, who saw it as an attempt to justify Japan's wartime atrocities.<br />
