A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remenbered that Japan launched wars of aggression against other countries during the war and committed, it asserted, grave crimes.

It noted that the Yasukuni Shrine was an instrument and symbol of Japanese militarism and houses 14 Class A war criminals, considered responsible for the wars of aggression.

The Foreign Ministry stated that no argument by Japanese politicians can conceal the attempts to rehabilitate war criminals, cover up responsibility for the crimes committed, and distort historical facts.

It also maintained that these actions seek to pave the way for an accelerated remilitarization of Japan.

China condemned these actions as an affront to historical justice, a challenge to the limits of civilization, and a provocation against the post-war international order.

China noted that the international community firmly opposes these positions.

This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the start of the Tokyo Trials against Japanese leaders accused of war crimes following World War II.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that a correct understanding and treatment of history is a prerequisite for Japan’s return to the international community after the war and a political foundation for its relations with neighboring countries.

China urged Tokyo to reflect deeply on its history of aggression, definitively break with militarism, and take concrete steps to gain the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community.

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