Japan PM Takaichi sends offering to Yasukuni shrine, straining ties with China

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine at the start of its autumn festival, a move likely to irritate China and South Korea. Takaichi, a conservative who previously visited the shrine regularly, has refrained from visiting since becoming PM, but the offering signals a continued symbolic alignment with nationalist positions. The act occurs amid strained Japan-China relations and relatively stable ties with South Korea, potentially complicating regional diplomacy.