Japan PM makes offering to Yasukuni Shrine, angers China, South Korea

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers a speech during the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) annual convention in Tokyo January 19, 2014. REUTERS/Yuya Shino

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, seen by critics as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, angering both South Korea and China on Monday and putting regional ties under further strain.

Adding to unease in the region, a Chinese maritime court in Shanghai seized a ship on Saturday owned by Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, a move that Japan warned could have an adverse impact on its businesses in China.