China firmly rejects Japan's negative actions at Yasukuni Shrine: foreign ministry

BEIJING, April 22 (Xinhua) -- China firmly rejects Japan's negative actions related to the Yasukuni Shrine and has lodged serious demarches with Japan, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

It has been reported that the "Annual Spring Rites" at the Yasukuni Shrine began on April 21. On that day, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, alongside the speaker of Japan's House of Representatives and the president of Japan's House of Councillors, presented ritual offerings at the Yasukuni Shrine. Several cabinet members also visited and paid their respects to the shrine.

When asked to comment on the actions of the Japanese officials during a daily press briefing, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that the Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and a symbol of the Japanese militarists responsible for the war of aggression. The place honors 14 convicted Class-A war criminals who were gravely responsible for the war crimes committed during that war of aggression.

China firmly rejects Japan's negative actions related to the Yasukuni Shrine, Wang said, noting that China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its embassy in Japan have both lodged serious demarches with Japan.

"China urges Japan to earnestly honor its words and commitment to face squarely and reflect on its history of aggression, make a clean break from militarism, and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions," he said.