Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife Akie on Tuesday visited Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo. Abe posted about the visit on her Facebook page, and included photos.

In her post, she also mentioned that just a few days prior, she had visited the Chiran air base in Kagoshima Prefecture from where kamikaze pilots were dispatched during World War II.

Reflecting on her visit to Yasukuni shrine, she wrote: "My feelings toward the shrine were quite different after my visit to the Chiran base."

The last time Akie Abe visited Yasukuni shrine was in May -- after which China lodged a protest. At that time, she also discussed the visit on her Facebook page. "My heart aches when reading letters and farewell notes addressed to family members," she wrote. "What was in their minds when they perished on the battlefields?"

Yasukuni shrine honors Japan's fallen soldiers, but also several Class A war criminals convicted and executed after the conflict.

© Japan Today/AFP