Japan's Abe makes ritual offering at Yasukuni shrine to war dead

Visitors pray at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, April 21, 2016. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday sent a ritual offering to a controversial Tokyo shrine for war dead, prompting China to urge it to "deeply reflect on its invasion history", as the Asian neighbours prepare for a meeting to help smooth ties.

Chinese ties with Japan have long been strained by what Beijing see as Japanese leaders' reluctance to atone for the country's wartime past. China and South Korea suffered under Japan's sometimes brutal occupation and colonial rule before Tokyo's defeat in 1945.