Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo is never far from controversy. Nearly 2.5 million war dead – among them 1,068 convicted war criminals – are honoured at the Shinto shrine, which has long been a source of tension between Japan and its neighbours China and South Korea. Japan’s Emperor Akihito, 84, has never visited and prime minister Shinzo Abe hasn’t been there since December 2013. The head priest had to resign last week after he criticised the Emperor for distancing himself from the shrine. Abe is currently on tour in Europe but still sent a traditional masakaki offering yesterday at the start of the shrine’s four-day autumn festival. It’s a strategic move that sends a message of support for Yasukuni while avoiding unnecessary upset ahead of Abe’s three-day visit to China on 25 October when he’ll discuss bilateral relations with president Xi Jinping.

High-flyers will be taking off from Orlando with lighter pockets after today, the final day of the National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition. After years of lagging sales, this trade show has marked a return to form for the industry. Embraer launched two long-range business jets as part of the Brazilian company’s turnaround push and, with more new planes entering the market, 2019 is expected to see a noticeable uptick in jet deliveries. The Phoenix-based manufacturer Honeywell Aerospace predicts that about $251bn worth of business jets will be sold over the coming decade. The reason? The Republicans’ 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which has created a friendlier US market for jet ownership.