Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Remarks on Japan's Erroneous Acts Related to the Yasukuni Shrine
2021/08/15

Q: According to media reports, on August 15, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga gave a cash offering to the Yasukuni Shrine. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, several cabinet members and some lawmakers visited the Yasukuni Shrine on the same day or in recent days. What is China's comment on that?

A: Today marks the 76th anniversary of Japan's defeat and unconditional surrender. Seventy-six years ago, the Chinese people, together with the people of the rest of the world, defeated the Japanese militarist aggressors and fascism and won the great victory of justice over evil, light over darkness and progress over reaction. This historic moment deserves to be remembered forever by the international community.

A: The Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 World War II Class-A war criminals with heinous crimes are honored, is a spiritual tool and symbol of the Japanese militarism’s war of aggression. What some Japanese political figures have done on the issue of the Yasukuni Shrine affronts historical justice and seriously hurts the feelings of people in the victimized Asian countries, including China. It again reflects Japan’s wrong attitude towards its own history of aggression. The Chinese side has lodged solemn representations with the Japanese side through diplomatic channels in both Beijing and Tokyo to register strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition. We urge the Japanese side to earnestly honor its statement and commitment of facing up to and reflecting on its history of aggression, tread carefully on historical issues such as the Yasukuni Shrine, make a clean break with militarism, and win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions.