BEIJING: In response to media inquiry regarding Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks that her goal is to create an environment that would allow visits to Yasukuni Shrine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the commencement of the Tokyo Trials. On this special occasion, Japan should particularly face up to and reflect on its history of aggression, exercise prudence in words and deeds on major historical issues such as Yasukuni Shrine, avoid repeating past mistakes and take concrete actions to completely break from militarism.
Noting that the US expressed its disappointment when then prime minister Shinzo Abe visited the shrine in 2013, Takaichi claimed on Sunday that her goal is to “create an environment in which we can pay our respects to those who died for each other’s countries,” following a general election in which her ruling Liberal Democratic Party won a victory, according to Japanese media Nippon.com.
In response, spokesperson Lin said that Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarism’s launch of wars of aggression abroad, enshrining 14 Class-A war criminals who bear grave responsibility for the war of aggression.
The essence of the Yasukuni Shrine issue is whether Japan can correctly recognize and deeply reflect on the history of Japanese militarism’s aggression. This concerns human conscience, the political foundation of China-Japan relations, and Japan’s national credibility, Lin said.
Forgetting history means betrayal, and denying responsibility means the risk of repeating mistakes, the spokesperson emphasized.
