安倍为靖国神社供奉祭品

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sent a ritual offering to a Tokyo shrine that many of Japan's neighbors see as a symbol of the country's imperialist past.

Mr. Abe sent a traditional potted plant to the Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday, the first day of a three-day spring festival, officials at the shrine said.

The prime minister's offering is likely to upset many in China and South Korea, two main victims of Japan's pre-World War Two colonial aggression.

But the offering means Mr. Abe is likely to refrain from visiting the Shinto shrine, a move that would have drawn much harsher criticism.

The central Tokyo religious facility honors 2.5 million of Japan's war dead, including several convicted war criminals from World War Two.

Mr. Abe last visited the facility in 2013. He defended the move by saying it is natural for him to pay respects to the country's war dead