The spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense answers reporters' questions on the visit of the Minister of Defense of Japan to the Yasukuni Shrine

　　Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, August 13 (Reporter Zhang Mimim) Wu Qian, spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, answered questions from reporters on the 13th on the visit of the Japanese Defense Minister to the Yasukuni Shrine.

　　A reporter asked. According to media reports, before the anniversary of Japan's defeat on August 15, Japan's Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi paid a visit to the Yasukuni Shrine on the afternoon of the 13th.

This is the second visit to the Yasukuni Shrine by the current Defense Minister of Japan.

Do you have any comments on this?

　　Wu Qian said that the Chinese side expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the visit of the Japanese Defense Minister to the Yasukuni Shrine, and made solemn representations to the Japanese side.

　　Wu Qian said that as everyone knows, the Yasukuni Shrine is the spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarism in launching a war of aggression. It enshrines 14 Class A war criminals who were seriously responsible for that war of aggression.

The visit by the Minister of Defense of Japan to the Yasukuni Shrine once again reflects Japan's wrong attitude towards the history of aggression and its sinister intention to challenge the post-war international order.

If you can't face history, you won't have a future.

We ask the Japanese side to seriously reflect on the history of aggression, keep in mind the lessons of history, take measures to correct mistakes, and take concrete actions to win the trust of neighboring Asian countries and the international community.

　　Wu Qian said that in the recent past, the Japanese defense department has continuously taken negative actions on China-related issues, linking countries outside the region to smear China's defense policy and army building and development, conduct targeted military exercises, and brutally intervene purely in China's internal affairs. The Taiwan issue and the launch of provocative actions in the South China Sea have seriously disrupted the development of Sino-Japanese defense relations.

We urge Japan to abandon the Cold War mentality, follow the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, and work with China on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, so as to promote the development of China-Japan defense relations on the right track.