SEOUL/TOKYO - Three Japanese ministers, despite raging criticism from the global community, on Thursday visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, as the country marked the 79th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara paid his homage at the shrine, a symbol of Japan's past brutal militarism, early in the morning, the first visit by an incumbent defense minister on this significant day since the Ministry of Defense was elevated from defense agency in 2007.

Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi and Economic Revitalization Minister Yoshitaka Shindo also visited the war-linked shrine.

Their in-person visits marked the fifth consecutive year that a Japanese cabinet minister has visited Yasukuni on this significant day.

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Several lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, including Shinjiro Koizumi, a former environment minister and son of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, also visited the shrine to pay homage.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent ritual offerings to the shrine in his capacity as president of the LDP.

It came a day after Kishida took the public by surprise by announcing that he would not run in the ruling party's presidential race next month, ready to step down as prime minister after three years in power.

South Korea on Thursday expressed regret over Japanese leaders' offering and visit to the Yasukuni Shrine. 

The Seoul foreign ministry said in a statement that the government expresses deep disappointment and regret over the fact that responsible leaders of Japan once again sent offering to and paid respect at the Yasukuni Shrine, which glorifies Japan's war of aggression and enshrines war criminals.

The ministry urged Japanese leaders to squarely face history and demonstrate through action their humble reflection and sincere remorse for Japan's past affairs, adding that it will become an important foundation for the development of future-oriented South Korea-Japan relations.

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The Yasukuni Shrine, located in central Tokyo, honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II. It has long been a source of diplomatic friction for Japan and its neighbors.

Visits and ritual offerings made by Japanese officials to the controversial shrine have consistently sparked criticism and hurt the feelings of the people of China, South Korea and other countries brutalized by Japan during the war.