China lodges stern protest over Japan PM's Yasukuni Shrine tribute

China on Tuesday voiced firm opposition and strong condemnation after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun saying Beijing has lodged solemn representations and a strong protest with Tokyo.

Guo said the latest move surrounding the shrine once again exposed Japan's failure to face up to and reflect on its history of aggression.

He described Yasukuni Shrine as a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarism's wars of aggression abroad, and said it is, in effect, a shrine honoring convicted war criminals.

According to Guo, Japan's negative moves on the Yasukuni issue amount to an attempt to evade responsibility for its past crimes, a desecration of historical justice, a provocation to countries that suffered under Japanese aggression, and a challenge to the outcomes of victory in World War II — conduct that has been widely condemned and firmly opposed by the international community.

Forgetting history means betrayal, while denying aggression risks repeating it, Guo said, urging the international community to stay highly vigilant against what he called Japan's attempts at historical revisionism, curb any dangerous moves toward neo-militarism, and work together to safeguard peace and stability in the region and beyond.