Beijing protests Japan's hostile shrine moves

China firmly opposes and strongly condemns the negative moves of Japan concerning the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine and has lodged serious and strong protests with the Japanese side, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday.

Mao made the remarks after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering to the shrine on Saturday to mark its annual autumn festival and made a monetary offering on Monday. Several Japanese government officials, politicians from the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party and members of the Diet also visited the war shrine in recent days.

"The Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarists' war of aggression. The shrine honors 14 convicted Class-A war criminals responsible for Japan's aggression," Mao said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.

Wartime Japanese prime minister Hideki Tojo is among the 14 Class-A war criminals enshrined at Yasukuni. Visits by senior Japanese politicians to the shrine have long drawn criticism from China and South Korea, both of which suffered from Japanese aggression.

Mao said that Japanese leaders and politicians, despite being fully aware of the facts, still pay respects at the war shrine.

"Such acts lay bare their deep-rooted erroneous perceptions on historical issues, as well as their sinister attempt to exonerate war criminals, reverse the verdict on aggression and pave the way for remilitarization," she said.

Mao noted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, which convicted 25 Class-A Japanese war criminals.

"We once again call upon Japan to face up to history, repent for historical crimes, stop the retrogressive moves on historical issues, and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community with concrete actions," she said.