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| China condemns Japanese PM's latest shrine visit |
| CCTV.COM 2003-01-15 09:01:49 |
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 The Chinese government has voiced its strong disapproval and indignation over Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's latest visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war criminals. The Chinese Foreign Ministry says the move severely hurts the feelings of Asian people, including the Chinese. China is urging Japanese leaders to take a sincere and correct approach toward history, correcting any wrongdoing thereby eliminating negative past influences which continue to hamper relations.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had already twice outraged the country's neighbors by visiting Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, a symbol of the militarist regime that led Japan into war with them. The shrine houses memorial plaques for Class A war criminals.
On Tuesday, Koizumi’s unannounced visiting to the shrine took the world people by surprise . China immediately voiced its strong dissatisfaction. Zhang Qiyue, spokeswoman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said: "The Chinese government strongly opposes the Japanese leaders' visit to the Yasukuni Shrine. The wrongdoing by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi severely damages the political foundation for Sino－Japanese relations. It hurts the feelings of the Chinese people and the people of other Asian countries victimized during World War Two." Koizumi's act, the spokeswoman noted, runs counter to a series of solemn declarations and commitments made by the Japanese government on related issues of history.
 Meanwhile, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Yang Wenchang lodged China's strong disapproval about Koizumi's shrine visit to Japan's Ambassador to China, Kore'shige Ana'mi. Yang said that during World War II, Japanese militarism caused the deaths of millions of Chinese and Asian people, as well as immeasurable property loss. The vice minister added that such a historical atrocity will never be forgotten. He said only by correctly viewing history could a repeat of the historic tragedy be avoided.
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Editor: Zhao Xuan CCTV.com
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