InsideJapan News Network

Three members of the Japanese government attended the controversial Shinto shrine to the country's war dead to mark the 63rd anniversary of Japan's defeat in the second world war.

A cross-party delegation of more than 50 legislators also attended the shrine, reports Reuters.

While former prime minister Shinzo Abe attended the memorial, his serving counterpart Yasuo Fukuda was absent.

When Mr Fukuda was elected to office, he stated his intention not to visit the shrine.

Seiichi Suzuki, an 82-year-old former soldier who spent time on a destroyer during the conflict, commented: " I am here to honour the spirits of the dead because I want to thank those who worked for the nation," said 82-year-old Seiichi Suzuki, a former soldier who served on a destroyer during the war."

He added: "I see no need for Fukuda to visit."

The official Japanese surrender was received by the supreme commander general Douglas MacArthur on this day (August 15th) in 1945.