China urges Japan to reflect on history after shrine visit

China urges Japan to reflect on history after shrine visit

BEIJING - China's Foreign Ministry urged Japan on Thursday to keep its promises to reflect on its past wartime aggression, after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine for war dead.

"We solemnly urge Japan to abide by its commitment to reflect on its history of aggression, take measures to correct its error, eliminate the adverse effects and take concrete actions to win the trust of its Asian neighbours and the international community," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement.

Tokyo's relations with Beijing are already strained by territorial rows and disputes stemming from Japan's wartime occupation of large parts of China, which China considers Japan has never properly atoned for.

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