Tokyo: Japan's hawkish new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, observed the anniversary of his nation's defeat in World War II by sending an offering to a controversial Tokyo war shrine instead of visiting it himself, a compromise move meant to try to satisfy his right-wing base without inflaming passions in the region.

Mr Abe's deliberations on a possible visit to the Yasukuni Shrine - which he had promised before becoming prime minister in December - were closely watched as an early test of whether he would revert to the strident nationalism of his first troubled tenure as the country's leader. Critics said the prime minister had been holding back for months to help appeal to a wider audience before parliamentary elections, which his party won in a landslide last month.

Anti-Japan protesters demonstrate with Japanese military flags with Chinese words, " Down with Japan militarism " in Hong Kong. Credit:AP

The prime minister's balancing act highlighted his struggle since taking office to juggle two conflicting political goals: a deeply felt personal desire to revise what his supporters call an overly negative postwar portrayal of Japan's conduct during the war, and an effort to solidify ties in the region to help the United States offset China's growing strength.

Mr Abe has largely avoided touching on delicate historical issues since he took office, with the exception of another offering he made to Yasukuni in April. Mr Abe's supporters say he is responding at least in part to pressure from US officials, who fear that historical issues may isolate Japan, the United States' largest Asian ally, at a time when the US must cope with China and a nuclear North Korea.