Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement in Beijing Tuesday, strongly protesting Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit again to the war criminals-honoring Yasukuni Shrine.

Japanese ambassador to China Yuji Miyamoto (L) listens as China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing reads from a prepared statement in Beijing August 15, 2006, protesting the visit by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to the Yasukuni Shrine. China accused Koizumi on Tuesday of "wrecking the political foundations of China-Japan relations" by visiting the shrine that honours Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals. [Reuters]

And Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing summoned Japanese Ambassador to China Miyamoto Yuji Tuesday, lodging serious and solemn representations, and strong protests against Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's sixth visit to the war criminals-honoring Yasukuni Shrine.

Li said he expresses "strong indignation" and "strong condemnation" over the visit.
"China strongly requests Japanese leaders to make efforts to remove political barriers and push the Sino-Japanese ties back to the normal development track at an early date," he said.

Li told Miyamoto that Koizumi's repeated visit to the Yasukuni Shrine is a move that "challenges the international justice" and "tramples the conscience of mankind", Li said. 

"His move severely hurt the feelings of the people of the victim countries, and undermined the political foundation of the China-Japan relations," he said.

Noting China is the biggest victim of Japanese militarists' aggression, Li said, "To correctly understand and treat that part of history constituted the political basis for the resumption and development of the China-Japan relations after the war, and the important preconditions for the two countries to face up to the future."

However, Koizumi, sticking to a wrong stance, has repeatedly hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and seriously violated the three Sino-Japanese political documents, Li said.

His move has also made him lose credit to the international community and the Japanese people alike, and undermined Japan's state image and interests, the foreign minister said.

The class-A war criminals honored in the Yasukuni Shrine were hatchers and directors of Japanese militarists' aggression, and chief criminals responsible for the great calamity imposed on Asia and the world in the modern history, the foreign minister said.

Regardless of the concern and opposition from the international community, neighboring Asian countries and the Japanese people, the statement said, Koizumi insisted on visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, which is a move that "challenges the international justice and tramples the conscience of mankind".

Koizumi repeatedly hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and his acts have made him lose credit to the international community and the Japanese people alike, and undermined Japan's state image and interests, said the statement.

The Chinese government expresses "strong protests" against such a move that severely harms the sentiment of the peoples victimized by the Japanese militarists' aggression, and that damages the political basis of the Sino-Japanese relations, according to the statement.

The maintenance of the sound growth of the Sino-Japanese relations is in the fundamental interests of the Chinese and Japanese peoples and conducive to the peace and stability in Asia and the world at large, the statement said.

With joint efforts from the Japanese statesmen and people who cherish and engage in the Sino-Japanese friendship, the Chinese government and people will be unremittingly committed to the peaceful co-existence, friendship for generations to come, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development between China and Japan, the statement said.

"We believe that people of insight from all walks of life in Japan will follow the historical tide and make efforts to wipe out political barriers so as to push the Sino-Japanese ties back to the normal track at an early date," it said.