Abe To Yasukuni-Why, and Why Now?

This past month (December 2013) Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid a visit to Yasukuni Shrine to pay his respects to the war dead. After his December 26th visit, Abe said that he did not intend to offend anyone, but rather that he went there to pray for the war dead.  Predicitably, China and Korea were outraged, and protests were made. The question is: Why did Mr. Abe visit Yasukuni at all, and why did he visit it at a time when rising tensions had peaked and subsided a bit. What was Mr. Abe thinking?  Please share your insights with us and our readers on this matter.