China on Monday called on Japan to face up to and reflect upon its past aggressions, after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.
The Yasukuni Shrine, regarded by many as a symbol of Japanese militarism, honors 14 Class-A convicted war criminals as well as millions of war dead.
"We firmly opposes the wrong-doings of Japanese politicians," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing, stating that Japan should make a clear break with its militarist past so as to win trust from its Asian neigbors and the international community.