China demands Japan break from militarism

China urged Japan to make a clean break from militarism to ensure the healthy development of bilateral ties as Japanese politicians plan to visit the Yasukuni Shrine this week.

Japan's newly appointed Internal Affairs Minister Sanae Takaichi and a cross-party group of national lawmakers plan to go to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 convicted Class-A Japanese war criminals from World War II, during an autumn festival that begins Friday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei reiterated that only if Japan faces up to and reflects on its aggression history and makes a clean break from militarism can China-Japan relations achieve healthy and stable development.

"We urge Japan to honor its commitments on historical issues, properly deal with relevant issues and gain trust from Asian neighbors and the international community with concrete actions," Hong said.

Japan apologized for the nation's wartime atrocities in 1995 in the "Murayama Statement," made by then-Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama.

The Kono Statement, an official apology made in 1993 by then-chief cabinet secretary Yohei Kono, acknowledged that Japan recruited more than 200,000 young women from China, Korea and Southeast Asia and forced them to serve in military brothels during WWII.

Repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine have sparked anger from Japan's neighboring countries, including China and the Republic of Korea, which suffered from Japan's aggression and wartime atrocities.