Tokyo, April 23 (IANS) A cross-party group of about 70 Japanese lawmakers visited the Yasukuni Shrine here on Tuesday during its annual spring festival.

The lawmakers included Masahisa Sato, a senior vice foreign minister, and Seiichi Eto, a special advisor to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, reports Xinhua news agency.

Abe sent a ritual donation to the war-linked shrine on Sunday, the first day of the three-day spring festival.

The Japanese leader did not visit the shrine in person.

The shrine has long been a source of diplomatic friction between Japan and its neighbours as it honours convicted war criminals together with the war dead.

Yasukuni Shrine honours 14 Class-A convicted war criminals among 2.5 million Japanese war dead from World War II.

--IANS ksk