安倍首相、靖国参拝見送り＝秋季例大祭

　東京・九段北の靖国神社で開かれていた秋季例大祭は２０日、４日間の日程を終えた。安倍晋三首相は例年同様、参拝は見送り、祭具の真榊（まさかき）奉納にとどめた。一方、期間中に先の内閣改造で入閣した衛藤晟一沖縄・北方担当相と高市早苗総務相が参拝した。閣僚参拝が確認されたのは約２年半ぶり。
　首相の参拝見送りには、日中関係の改善の流れを損なわないようにする意図もあるとみられる。（2019/10/20-20:08）

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe skipped a visit to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine during its four-day autumn festival that ended on Sunday.
   Abe apparently does not want to undermine relations with China, sources familiar with his thinking said.
   The Shinto shrine, which honors Class-A World War II criminals along with the war dead, is considered a symbol of Japan's past militarism, particularly in China and South Korea.
   Two of Abe's cabinet ministers, Seiichi Eto and Sanae Takaichi, visited the shrine during the festival, drawing protests from the two Asian neighbors. No Japanese cabinet ministers had visited the shrine since April 2017.
   Abe last visited the shrine in December 2013. He has since offered ritual offerings during its spring and autumn festivals as well as on the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in the war.