岸田首相、靖国に真榊奉納　春季例大祭始まる

　岸田文雄首相は２１日、東京・九段北の靖国神社で始まった春季例大祭に合わせ、祭具の真榊（まさかき）を奉納した。２２日までの期間中、首相は参拝を見送る予定。
　岸田内閣では、後藤茂之厚生労働相も真榊を奉納。このほかに、自民党の安倍晋三元首相、高市早苗政調会長が参拝した。（2022/04/21-11:30）

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent a ritual "masakaki" tree offering to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Thursday, when the war-related shrine's two-day spring festival opened.
   He will not pay a visit to the Shinto shrine during the festival. Among other members of his cabinet, health minister Shigeyuki Goto also made a masakaki offering.
   No sitting prime minister has paid a visit to the shrine since December 2013, when Shinzo Abe did so. His successors avoided visiting the shrine out of diplomatic consideration for China and South Korea.
   Yasukuni Shrine is considered a symbol of Japan's past militarism, particularly in the neighboring countries, as it honors Class-A war criminals along with the war dead.
   During the shrine's autumn festival in October last year, Kishida did not visit the shrine but made a masakaki offering.