UPDATED 6.23PM | This story has been updated to reflect clarification from Japan's Foreign Ministry.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry has clarified that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to the Japanese Cemetery in Kuala Lumpur was not a specific tribute to soldiers of the former Imperial Japanese Army (IJA).

Instead, it said the move was to honour all members of the Japanese community who had lived and died in Malaysia.

Takaichi, Japan's new and first female prime minister, faced intense criticism on social media after...