The Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo honours 2.5 million mostly Japanese killed in wars since the late 19th century, including convicted war criminals.

Officials regularly pay homage at Yasukuni, as did three government ministers and scores of other lawmakers on the 79th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II on Thursday.

Such visits have angered some of Japan's Asian neighbours and former victims of its imperialism, especially China and South Korea.

A Yasukuni shrine official confirmed the new case of graffiti to AFP, without elaborating further.

Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed a stone pillar defaced with Chinese words meaning: "Dog toilet shit. Militarism go to hell."

In late May, a Chinese man allegedly conspired with two others to spray-paint the word "toilet" in red on a pillar at the shrine.

Jiang Zhuojun, 29, who lived north of Tokyo, was later arrested "on suspicion of vandalism and disrespect for a place of worship", Tokyo police said in July.

Yasukuni also includes a museum that portrays Japan largely as a victim of US aggression in WWII and makes scant reference to the extreme brutality of invading Imperial troops when they stormed through Asia.