Japanese visits to Yasukuni show lack of reflection: China

Asian Political News, August 19, 2002

BEIJING, Aug. 15 Kyodo

China protested the visits by some Japanese cabinet members to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on Thursday to mark the 57th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, claiming Japan is not facing up to its history of military aggression.

''The essence of the Yasukuni Shrine problem relates to (Japan's) attitude to Japanese militarism during its history of invasion,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan was quoted as saying by the state-run Chinese Central Television evening news.

''Japan should take concrete measures and follow an honest appraisal of history, while taking a position of reflecting on its invasion, rather than taking action which opposes this,'' the commentary said.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who raised Beijing's ire early in the year by visiting the shrine, made a point of not joining other politicians in their Thursday pilgrimage to the memorial that honors Japan's 2.5 million war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals.