China, Russia slam Japanese ministers' visits to war-linked shrine

[beijingwalker]

China, Russia slam Japanese ministers' visits to war-linked shrine
KYODO NEWS - Aug 17, 2021 - 14:41

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov shake hands

China and Russia have criticized recent visits by some Japanese Cabinet members to the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, pledging that the two countries will jointly defend the truth of history, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

During their phone talks on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Beijing and Moscow should join hands to "oppose any attempt to whitewash or glorify militarism" and "stem any scheme to falsify history."

Wang's remarks came after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga sent an offering and three members of his Cabinet paid visits to the Shinto shrine on Sunday as the Asian nation marked the 76th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Established in 1869 to commemorate those who died in wars for Japan, Yasukuni in 1978 added wartime Prime Minister Gen. Hideki Tojo and other convicted war criminals to the more than 2.4 million war dead enshrined there.

Since the 1980s, the shrine has been a source of diplomatic friction with Japan's neighbors, particularly China and South Korea. Japan had invaded a huge swath of China by the end of the war, while Japan ruled the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

The latest Yasukuni visits are a "challenge to human conscience and international justice" and "all peace-loving countries and people cannot tolerate and should denounce Japan's act," Wang was quoted by his ministry as telling Lavrov.

Lavrov echoed the view, saying Russia and China should "oppose any attempt to smear history," according to the ministry.

China has urged Japanese political leaders to change what it calls their wrong attitude toward Yasukuni, saying it enshrines "Class-A war criminals who were directly responsible" for Japan's war of aggression.

China, Russia slam Japanese ministers' visits to war-linked shrine

China and Russia have criticized recent visits by some Japanese Cabinet members to the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, pledging that the two countries will jointly defend the truth of history, th

english.kyodonews.net

 

[beijingwalker]

China and South Korea blast defense chief Nobuo Kishi's visit to Yasukuni

• Aug 14, 2021

BEIJING / SEOUL – China and South Korea on Friday blasted Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi’s visit to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo earlier in the day.

China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition, National Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said in a statement.

The Shinto shrine, where World War II criminals are enshrined alongside millions of war dead, is “a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarism and its invasion of foreign countries,” the statement said in English.

Kishi’s act reflects “Japan’s wrong attitude toward its history of aggression and its sinister intention to challenge the postwar international order,” the statement added.

China urged Japan to “seriously reflect on its history of aggression, keep in mind the historical lessons, correct its mistakes and gain the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions.”

The statement also criticized Tokyo for smearing China’s defense policy and military development in collaboration with countries outside the region while conducting targeted military exercises, intervening in the Taiwan issue and carrying out provocative actions in the South China Sea.

In South Korea, Lee Sang-ryol, the Foreign Ministry’s director-general for Asian and Pacific affairs, summoned Naoki Kumagai, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, to lodge a protest.

Lee told Kumagai that Yasukuni Shrine glorifies Japan’s past colonization and invasion of the Korean Peninsula.

Kishi’s visit damages the trust between the two countries, Lee said, urging Japanese leaders to reflect on past wrongdoings and demonstrate their sincerity by their action.

The South Korean National Defense Ministry also expressed its deep concerns and regrets over Kishi’s visit.

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