Controversies surrounding Yasukuni Shrine

Emperor Akihito’s planned abdication - the first by a Japanese monarch in about two centuries - should take place on April 30, 2019, a special panel chaired by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed on Dec. 1.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Aug. 15 sent a cash donation to a controversial war shrine as the country marked the anniversary of its defeat in World War II.

Yasukuni Shrine honors about 2.5 million dead, mostly Japanese, who perished in the country's wars since the late 19th century.

Japan marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II (and its unconditional surrender) on Saturday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe avoiding a controversial visit to the Yasukuni shrine, which honors several war criminals along with the multitudes of other fallen Japanese.

According to AP, Abe instead prayed and laid flowers at a national cemetery for unnamed fallen soldiers.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made another pitch on July 15 for security bills which would beef up Japan's military, as he pushed legislation through a key panel despite surging public and parliamentary opposition.

Japan's leader Shinzo Abe risked Chinese and Korean ire April 21 by sending an offering to a controversial war shrine, and saying he may not repeat a formal apology for the country's World War II rampage.