Seoul shelves Tokyo trip in war shrine dispute In a setback for closer relations between Japan and South Korea, Seoul's foreign minister has suspended plans for a trip to Tokyo after several top Japanese officials visited the controversial Yasukuni war shrine over the weekend. Taro Aso, the Japanese finance minister and deputy prime minister, was the highest-ranking member of Shinzo Abe's government to visit the memorial, where Japanese leaders who were convicted of war crimes following the second world war are honoured alongside fallen soldiers. Visits to the shrine are considered highly provocative in countries such as South Korea, which were invaded or colonised during Japan's imperial expansion. Other leaders also visited Yasukuni to mark the start of the shrine's spring festival. Mr Abe has not visited the memorial as prime minister, citing diplomatic sensitivities, but on Sunday he sent a ritual offering of a pine tree. Seoul's foreign ministry lamented the decision to visit Yasukuni "even though we have expressed repeated concerns," saying that "under these changed circumstances, we think we cannot have productive discussions." A spokesperson for the ministry added that South Korea had been in discussions with Japan on a possible visit by foreign minister Yun Byung-se, but had not fixed any dates for the trip. Seoul was particularly upset by Mr Aso's attendance, the spokesperson said, adding: "He is a very important figure in the government, so this is a very, very serious problem." The response from Seoul to the latest visit demonstrates that relations between Japan and South Korea remain fragile, even after the arrival of new governments in both countries. Last June Washington was dismayed to see the suspension of a planned military co-operation deal between its two key east Asian allies, after it suffered a hostile response from South Korean lawmakers. Two months later, Lee Myung-bak - then South Korean president - outraged Tokyo by visiting an island group that is controlled by South Korea but claimed by Japan. In October, an expanded currency swap agreement between the two countries was allowed to lapse, in a development widely seen as evidence of historical grievances hindering bilateral co-operation. Soon after his election in December, Mr Abe sought to allay concerns in Seoul about his nationalist credentials by sending an envoy to meet the incoming South Korean president Park Geun-hye. Mr Abe's government inherited a tense dispute with China over the ownership of islands in the East China Sea, and has sought to improve relations with other Asian countries, notably South Korea, as a bulwark against growing Chinese power. Nationalist displays such as visits to Yasukuni are likely to hamper this effort while exacerbating tensions with China. Beijing suspended top-level meetings between the two countries over visits to the shrine by Junichiro Koizumi, who led Japan's government from 2001 to 2006, since when no prime minister has followed suit.