BEIJING, Aug. 13 -- "China strongly opposes the Japanese Defense Minister's visit to Yasukuni Shrine, and urges the Japanese side to reflect on its history of aggression, correct its mistakes, and gain the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions," said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, in a written statement on Friday.
Senior Colonel Wu's remarks came after Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine on the afternoon of August 13, which was the second visit by Japan's current defense minister to the Yasukuni Shrine.
"The Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarism and its invasion of foreign countries , and it honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II who were directly responsible for its past aggression ," Senior Colonel Wu said in the written statement. "The visit by the Japanese defense minister to the Yasukuni Shrine once again reflects Japan's wrong attitude towards its history of aggression and its sinister intention to challenge the post-war international order."
"Those who can't face the history do not deserve the future," Wu stressed. China urges the Japanese side to seriously reflect on its history of aggression, keep in mind the historical lessons, correct its mistakes and gain the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions .
Wu pointed out that, in the recent period, the Japanese defense department has continuously taken negative actions on China-related issues. It smeared China’s defense policy and military development with countries outside the region, conducted targeted military exercises, brutally intervened in the Taiwan question, which is purely China’s domestic affairs, and carried out provocative actions in the South China Sea. All these moves have seriously disrupted the development of China-Japan defense relations.
"China urges Japan to abandon the Cold War mentality, follow the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan , work with China on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, and meet each other halfway , so as to promote the development of China-Japan defense relations on the right track," Wu added.