Foreign Ministry Spokesperson’s Remarks on Japanese Politicians Paying Respects to the Yasukuni War Shrine Which Honors Class-A War Criminals

Q: August 15 marks the day of Japan’s unconditional surrender in the Second World War. Prime Minister of Japan Sanae Takaichi made a monetary offering to the Yasukuni war shrine today, and certain cabinet members also visited the shrine. What’s your comment?

A: China strongly deplores Japan’s negative moves related to the Yasukuni war shrine, and has lodged serious protests against Japan.

During WWII, Japan launched the war of aggression and committed horrendous crimes. The Yasukuni war shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarism. It is in fact a shrine for war criminals, as it honors 14 convicted Class-A war criminals responsible for the war of aggression. No pretext whatsoever can hide the Japanese politicians’ true intention which is to change the verdict on the war criminals, cover up Japan’s war crimes, distort the historical facts, and pave the way for accelerating remilitarization. This is an affront to historical justice, a challenge to the foundational norms of civilization, and a provocation against the postwar international order. Such behaviors have been firmly rejected by the overwhelming majority of the international community.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials. To view and treat history correctly is an important prerequisite for Japan’s postwar return to the international community, the political foundation for Japan’s ties with neighboring countries, and more importantly, a key measure for Japan’s commitment to peaceful development. We urge the Japanese side to do serious soul-searching on its history of aggression, make a clean break with militarism, and earn trust from its Asian neighbors and the rest of the world with concrete actions.