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Chinese Envoy Lodges Protest Over Japanese PM's Yasukuni Visit
Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Dawei lodged a protest Monday with the Japanese government over Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit earlier in the day to Yasukuni Shrine which enshrines war criminals along with war dead.
Koizumi's visit to the shrine not only damaged the political foundation of Sino-Japanese relations, but also seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people, Wu told Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Yoshiji Nogami.
The Chinese people are fiercely angry with Koizumi's wrong decision to visit the shrine, Wu said.
The ambassador said that the Chinese side noticed Koizumi gave up his original plan to visit the shrine on August 15, a sensitive day marking the 56th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, and that Koizumi released a statement expressing regret for Japan's aggression toward neighboring countries before and during the war,
Wu also expressed the hope that Japan will make renewed efforts to improve Sino-Japanese relations soured by Koizumi's visit to the Shrine.
Koizumi visited the Shinto shrine on Monday afternoon to pay homage to Japan's war dead including 14 Class-A war criminals despite strong opposition both at home and from Japan's neighboring countries.
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