1st LD-Writethru: China condemns Japan's negative moves concerning Yasukuni Shrine

BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- China expresses its strong indignation and stern condemnation over Japan's series of negative moves concerning the Yasukuni Shrine, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday.

Lin made the remarks at a regular news briefing when asked to comment on the visit to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine on Tuesday by members of the conservative solidarity association, a group of conservatives in Japan's Liberal Democratic Party and 166 Sanseito lawmakers from the Diet and local assemblies.

"The so-called Yasukuni Shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarists' war of aggression. It is in fact a shrine for war criminals," Lin said.

Japan's negative moves concerning the war-linked shrine constitute a blatant and grave affront to historic justice and human conscience in defiance of the victory of WWII and the postwar international order, he said. "China strongly deplores and condemns it."

This Sunday will mark 80 years since the Tokyo trials began. Eighty years ago, the international community, with overwhelming iron-clad evidence, made its final judgement on Japan's crimes of aggression and passed sentences on Japanese Class-A war criminals in accordance with the law, thus safeguarding the outcomes of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and international justice, he said.

Today, however, some Japanese politicians and right-wing forces, instead of reflecting on and correcting their wrongdoings, chose to go down the wrong path, Lin said. By visiting the Yasukuni Shrine that honors Japanese Class-A war criminals year after year, these Japanese politicians seek to reverse the just verdict on Japanese aggression, and hereby whitewash Japan's war crimes and revive militarism, he added.

"The Chinese people and people elsewhere who suffered under Japanese aggression will never accept that, neither will anyone in the world who stand for peace. As Japanese neo-militarism keeps gaining strength, the international community must stay on high alert and stand ready to stamp it out before it could wreak havoc in the region," he said. Enditem