By Cheng Yonghua, Ambassador of China to Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid a blatant visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, in which Class-A war criminals from World War II are honored, on December 26, 2013. As China's ambassador to Japan, I was immediately instructed to request a meeting with officials of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, speak to leading media outlets in Japan, and express great indignation and strong protests.

Frankly speaking, the Japanese leader's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine topped my list of concerns last year. Since taking office for the second time, Abe had reiterated his "utmost regret" for not having paid homage to the shrine during his previous tenure and showed his intention to visit from time to time. We frequently communicated with senior Japanese officials, stressing that visiting the shrine was a red line that should not be crossed and would deal a deadly blow to China-Japan relations. When we perceived that Abe's visit was imminent, the embassy and I lost no time in doing our best to prevent it and did not give up until the last minute. Abe, however, went his own way in disregard of our plea.

The move openly challenged international justice and human conscience. Not only did victimized nations such as China and South Korea strongly condemn it, it was also widely criticized by Japanese people with good conscience and the international community. Facts have shown and will continue to prove that Abe has done something unfavorable to himself and his country and detrimental to Asia-Pacific peace and stability based on his miscalculations.

The Japanese leader's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine put the clock back on historical issues as an attempt to whitewash aggression and turn back the wheel of history. Before World War II, the shrine provided spiritual support for Japan's militaristic aggression of foreign countries. Now 14 Class-A World War II war criminals are still worshipped there. It also stubbornly clings to and advocates a militaristic view of history that justifies aggression. The visit was therefore tantamount to a direct or indirect recognition of the "Yasukuni sprit" and the "Yasukuni view of history." What message did it convey to Asian countries and the world at large? In what direction will it lead Japanese people?

Japanese authorities and Abe have extensively spread the theory that the visit was not intended to hurt the feelings of nations that suffered from Japan's aggression such as China and South Korea. The very practice of paying tribute to perpetrators whose hands were stained with the blood of people in victimized countries, however, trampled on the feelings of these nations and rubbed salt into their wound. Japanese authorities also asserted that the visit was based on reflections on history and aimed to promote peace and prevent war. The hypocritical and self-contradictory defense convinces nobody. Obviously, war maniacs are not the right people before whom to pray for peace, and nor is the shrine that stirred up war decades ago the right place to pledge the renunciation of war. Praying for peace and revisiting Japan's war-renouncing pledge here can do a grave disservice to peace.

Some in Japan claimed that China did not question Japanese prime ministers' visits to the Yasukuni Shrine for a long time after World War II but gave prominence to the issue in recent years, accusing Beijing of using the issue to seek political gains. This ill-intentioned argument attempts to confuse right and wrong and mislead international opinion. Given the nature and harm of the Yasukuni Shrine, China has consistently opposed shrine visits by Japanese leaders. In 1978, Class-A war criminals were secretly enshrined there, a move that did not become public until several years later. In 1985, then Japanese prime minister visited the shrine, arousing strong condemnation and protests from the Chinese side. Since the mid-1980s, every visit to the shrine by a Japanese leader has caused interference and damage to China-Japan relations and met with solemn representations and strong protests from China without exception. In particular, former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid several visits to the shrine during his term, resulting in a five-year-long political stalemate in bilateral relations. When Abe took over the reins from Koizumi in 2006, China and Japan negotiated an agreement on overcoming political barriers to bilateral relations and promoting the healthy development of their friendly and cooperative ties. Seven years later, however, Abe paid a visit to the shrine while being fully aware that it was unacceptable, making it even more offensive.

The Chinese Government and people have always been friendly and tolerant toward the Japanese. When they normalized diplomatic relations, the Chinese side insisted on making a distinction between Japanese militarists and Japanese people and between war criminals and ordinary soldiers. It believed that the war waged by Japanese militarists brought severe disasters to both Chinese and Japanese people and the responsibility for the war should go to a small number of militarists. China values the idea of "remembering the past as a guide for the future." It is committed to developing bilateral relations in keeping with the principles of taking history as a mirror and looking ahead into the future provided that Japan takes a correct view of and reflects upon its history of aggression. In the four China-Japan political documents, Japan clearly stated that it felt deep remorse for its history of aggression and promised to follow a path of peaceful development. Abe's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine openly violated the principles and purposes of these documents as well as Japan's official pledge, severely undermined the political foundations for bilateral relations and closed the door to dialogue with China. The deceptive nature of Abe's rhetoric that "the door to dialogue is always open" and that Japan "sincerely hopes to hold a summit" and will make "proactive contribution to peace" became self-evident to all. The double-faced politician will eventually show his true colors.

While condemning the Japanese leader's attempt to whitewash history, we must recognize and be alert to the dangerous trend in Japan's future course as evidenced by the visit. Since returning to power, Abe has made a series of erroneous moves on historical issues with negative repercussions. It must be noted that Abe and the fraction that he represents do not treat history honestly but seek to retreat from the right track of history. They have tried to get rid of the restrictions imposed on Japan by the postwar regime, strengthen military buildup and push for amendments to Japan's pacifist Constitution. Given their refusal to show remorse for history and attempts to glorify the war of aggression, in what direction will they lead Japan? The hidden political agenda behind Abe's visit sounds the alarm for peace-loving people around the world.

After Abe paid his visit, other embassy officials and I heard many voices in Japan criticizing and questioning the move. Some politicians warned that as prime minister, Abe should not approach issues based on his own thinking and personal stance; instead, he should distance himself from the dark part of the Japanese history and handle the shrine issue with self-respect. Some insightful critics openly called for measures to stop Abe from continuing to walk down the dangerous path. Japanese entrepreneurs, friendly organizations, local governments and media outlets also reprimanded Abe. Many of them told me that his visit to the Yasukuni Shrine was irresponsible both politically and diplomatically and that they hope Abe can face up to and properly deal with problems between Japan and its neighboring countries.

Most Japanese news media outlets published editorials and commentaries critical of Abe's shrine visit. An opinion poll showed nearly 70 percent of the Japanese public did not approve of the visit, with numerous ordinary Japanese openly voicing their opposition. Recently I have read many letters from the public in Japanese newspapers. A writer pointed out that Abe's obstinate decision to visit the Yasukuni Shrine demonstrated to the world his lack of basic diplomatic knowledge and the sense of national responsibility and turned Japan into a beleaguered country in the international community. Another wrote that Abe's forcing into law a secret protection bill and attempts to enable Japan's Self-Defense Forces to exercise the right to collective defense run counter to his much-hyped "proactive contribution to peace" policy. The writer called on Abe not to throw Japanese people into another war. The letters show there are a large number of peace-loving people that can tell right from wrong and uphold justice in Japan.

Along with other members of the international community, we should do all we can to prevent Japanese right-wing forces from turning back the wheel of history, defend the victorious outcomes of World War II and the postwar international order-achieved at the cost of blood and lives of people in Asia and elsewhere in the world-and safeguard the peace and stability of the region and the world.