Seoul expresses regret over Takaichi's offering to controversial war shrine

The South Korean government expressed regret Saturday after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering to a war shrine seen as a symbol of Japan's imperialistic past.

Takaichi sent the offering earlier Saturday in her capacity as prime minister to mark the start of the Yasukuni Shrine's three-day autumn festival. But she plans to refrain from visiting the shrine in person during the festival, Japan's Kyodo News reported, citing sources close to the prime minister.

The Yasukuni Shrine honors some 2.46 million Japanese war dead, including 14 Class A criminals convicted by international tribunals for their roles in World War II.

In a statement, Seoul's foreign ministry said it "once again expresses deep disappointment and regret" that responsible Japanese leaders have "repeatedly sent offerings to or visited Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan's past war of aggression and enshrines war criminals."

It urged Japan's responsible leaders to "face history squarely and demonstrate humble reflection on and sincere remorse for the past through action."

"We once again stress that such steps are an important foundation for building a future-oriented South Korea-Japan relationship based on trust between the two countries and their peoples," it added.