Japanese state minister visits Yasukuni shrine

A wooden sign (C) reading "Prime Minister Shinzo Abe" is seen on a ritual offering from the prime minister to Yasukuni Shrine at the shrine in Tokyo in this picture taken by Kyodo, April 21, 2014. The wooden sign on the right reads, "President of the House of Councillors Masaaki Yamazaki". [Photo/Agencies]

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TOKYO - Japan's Administrative Reform Minister Tomomi Inada paid a visit to the notorious Yasukuni war shrine on Monday afternoon, local media reported.

Inada's worship to Yasukuni followed Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Yoshitaka Shindo on April 12 and Chairman of National Public Safety Commission Keiji Furuya on April 20.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe himself dedicated a "masakaki" tree offering to the shrine on April 21, the first day of the shrine's three-day spring festival, in a move regarded as an alternative to visiting the shrine in person.

The trips and offering have incensed Japan's neighboring countries, which view the shrine as a symbol of Japanese militarism as 14 convicted war criminals in the World War II were honored there among millions of Japanese war dead.

China and South Korea urged Japan to face up to its past wartime history rather than trying to whitewash its aggression.

As China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said earlier this month: "The Yasukuni shrine is a negative asset for Japan. If its leader is bent on holding this negative asset, it will become increasingly heavy."