SEOUL/TOKYO - South Korea on Friday expressed regret over Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sending a ritual offering to the war-related Yasukuni Shrine, seen as a symbol of Japanese militarism.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that the Seoul government expresses deep disappointment and regret over Japan's leaders once again paying tribute or respects at the Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan's war of aggression and enshrines war criminals.

The ministry noted that the South Korean government urges the leaders of Japan to confront history and show their humble reflection and sincere remorse for Japan's past affairs through actions.

Earlier in the day, Kishida sent a ritual offering of a masakaki tree under his name as Japanese prime minister on the occasion of the shrine's two-day spring festival.

Katsunobu Kato, minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare, also sent an offering to the shrine.

The Yasukuni Shrine, located in central Tokyo, honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II. It has long been a source of diplomatic friction for Japan and its neighbors.

Visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese officials to the controversial shrine have consistently sparked criticism and hurt the feelings of the peoples of China, South Korea and other countries brutalized by Japan during the war.