Defense Minister Tomomi Inada has visited a controversial shrine in Tokyo. This comes one day after she accompanied Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Hawaii, where he extended condolences to those killed at Pearl Harbor.
This is Inada's first visit to the Yasukuni Shrine since she took office as defense minister earlier this year. The shrine is dedicated to Japan's war dead, including a number of convicted war criminals.
Japan's neighbors - especially China -- see Yasukuni as a symbol of Japan's wartime militarism. Inada had been a regular visitor to the shrine before becoming defense minister.