Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent an offering to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, his office said on Thursday, drawing criticism from South Korea and China which view the shrine as a symbol of Japan's militaristic past.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent an offering to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, his office said on Thursday, a move that has previously been criticised by South Korea and China, which view the shrine as a symbol of Japan's militaristic past.

Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday sent a ritual offering to a shrine honouring the country's war dead that has long angered neighbouring countries, a spokesman for the site said.The minister of health,

Japan has reported its exports to key destinations like China fell in September, leading it to rack up a trade deficit of about $2 billion for the month.

Japan's exports fell for the first time in 10 months in September, data showed on Thursday, a worry for policymakers as any prolonged weakness in global demand may complicate the central bank's path to exit years of ultra-easy monetary policy.

Japan’s trade balance shifted to a deficit of ¥294.24 billion in September, from a surplus of JPY 60.56 billion in the same month a year earlier. It was the third straight month of a trade gap, coming in worse than the market forecast of a shortfall of ¥237.