A cross-party group of about 70 Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine to pay respects to the country's war dead during its annual spring festival.The Shinto shrine in Tokyo has often been a source of diplomatic friction with China and South Korea, which regard it as a symbol of Japan's militarism before and during World War II, as it honors convicted war criminals along with millions of war dead.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has strong backing from conservative groups, sent a ritual offering of a "masakaki" tree to Yasukuni on Sunday, the first day of the …READ FULL ARTICLE
