Japanese PM Abe makes ritual offering at Yasukuni shrine

Reuters
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) and his wife Akie (3rd L) exchange smiles with show-business celebrities during a cherry blossom viewing party at Shinjuku Gyoen park in Tokyo April 18, 2015. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday sent a ritual offering to a controversial Tokyo shrine for war dead, Jiji news agency said, a day before he makes remarks at an international summit that will be watched for his stance on Japan's wartime history. The tone of his comments at the Asia-Africa summit in Jakarta on Wednesday could determine whether he meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the conference, the latest sign of a possible thaw in Tokyo's troubled ties with Beijing. There have been concerns that Abe wants to tone down past apologies for Japan's wartime aggression. (Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Richard Pullin)