(VOVworld) - Japan's Justice Minister Mitsuhide Iwaki visited a Tokyo war shrine at the start of an annual autumn festival on Sunday.

People visit the controversial Yasukuni shrine during the shrine's autumn festival in Tokyo on Oct 17, 2015.PHOTO: AFP

Mr. Mitsuhide Iwaki was the first member of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet to visit Yasukuni shrine, which is the major reason for diplomatic tension between Japan and some Asian neighboring countries. Speaking to the press, Mr. Mitsuhide Iwaki said the visit to the shrine aimed to show his respect to those who sacrificed their lives in the war.