Via AFP:
The United States on Thursday criticized Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a war shrine visit that infuriated Japan's neighbors, in a rare break to usually unstinting US support to its ally.
US advocacy of a stronger Japan -- including a more active security role by the officially pacifist country -- has been a core principle for Washington in a region marked by the rise of China and an increasingly worrisome North Korea.
But Abe, known for his passionate belief that Japan should take greater pride in its history, defied US admonitions -- until now voiced quietly -- to stay away from the Y...
