Yasakuni visits draw fire from Beijing, Seoul. Shinzo Abe and other ­nationalists say the shrine is merely a place to remember "fallen soldiers"

China on Friday reiterated its stance against Japanese politicians visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, as dozens of Japanese lawmakers visited the notorious war shrine in Tokyo.

"We hope that politicians in Japan will develop a correct understanding of history and do more to promote reconciliation and mutual trust between Japan and its Asian neighbors," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular briefing.

The Yasukuni Shrine "honors" the souls of millions of Japanese dead, including several senior military and political figures convicted of Class-A war crimes at the Tokyo Trials after World War II.

The museum attached to the shrine presents a far-right Japanese interpretation of history.

The leafy central Tokyo Shinto shrine has for decades been a lightning rod for criticism by countries that suffered under Japan's colonialism and aggression in the first half of the 20th century.

Visits to the shrine by senior Japanese politicians, including occasionally prime ministers, also drew angry reactions from South Korea, which sees it as a symbol of Tokyo's militaristic past.

South Korea blasted the visit, with foreign ministry spokesperson Cho June-hyuck saying in a statement that the shrine "beautifies the colonial past and war of aggression, and enshrines war criminals."

Japanese Prime ­Minister Shinzo Abe and other ­nationalists say the shrine is merely a place to remember "fallen soldiers" and compare it to burial grounds such as the Arlington National Cemetery in the US.
  [ globaltimes.cn]
23/4/16
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