BEIJING, Jan. 8 -- China here on Wednesday urged Japanese leader Shinzo Abe to listen to the international community after his visit to a war-linked shrine sparked opposition from Asian neighbors.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying was commenting after India told Japan to accept criticisms made by China and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Indian Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid on Tuesday told visiting Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the New Komeito Party in Japan's ruling coalition, that Japan should learn from history and move on.

"Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's actions have seriously hurt the feelings of people in victimized countries of WWII, and sparked more criticism and condemnation by peace-loving and justice-upholding countries," said Hua at a daily news briefing on Wednesday.

She called on Abe to admit mistakes and change course.

Last month, Abe visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead including 14 convicted Class-A war criminals from WWII.

In response to reports that Japan will invite more than 100 western journalists to the country to elaborate on its territorial disputes with China and the ROK, Hua said no matter how much Japan works on its propaganda campaign, it can never change the fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China.

Rather than wasting time, Japan needs to take the time to sincerely repent its history of aggression and face up to facts, take concrete actions to properly solve issues and make practical efforts to mend ties with neighboring nations, Hua urged.