China protests Japanese defence chief's visit to war shrine

Record ID: 162709

  • Title: China protests Japanese defence chief's visit to war shrine
  • Date: 29th December 2016
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (DECEMBER 29, 2016) (REUTERS) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN HUA CHUNYING WALKING IN FOR REGULAR BRIEFING VARIOUS OF MEDIA SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN HUA CHUNYING SAYING: "As an important member of Japan's cabinet, Tomomi Inada having yesterday just accompanied Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Pearl Harbour, and with words of reconciliation and tolerance still ringing in our ears, today goes to worship at a shrine for war criminals from the Second World War and China, U.S. invasion. This doesn't just reflect the stubbornness and incorrect views on history of some people in Japan, it also casts a great irony over the so-called trip for reconciliation to Pearl Harbor. It will make people vigilant as to Japan's actions and intentions." BRIEFING IN PROGRESS EXTERIOR OF CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY CHINESE NATIONAL FLAG FLYING
  • Embargoed: 13th January 2017 08:25
  • Keywords: China shrine Japan Yasukuni war shrine Abe Pearl Harbor war defence minister Tomomi Inada
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA
  • City: BEIJING, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015EXRPS5
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday (December 29) that Japan's defence minister's visit to a controversial shrine had "cast a great irony" over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recent visit to Pearl Harbour.
    Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada on Thursday made a visit to the Yasukuni war shrine just after accompanying Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on a historic visit to Pearl Harbor, where Japan's attack brought the United States into World War Two.
    "As an important member of Japan's cabinet, Tomomi Inada having yesterday just accompanied Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Pearl Harbour, and with words of reconciliation and tolerance still ringing in our ears, today goes to worship at a shrine for war criminals from the Second World War and China, U.S. invasion. This doesn't just reflect the stubbornness and incorrect views on history of some people in Japan, it also casts a great irony over the so-called trip for reconciliation to Pearl Harbor. It will make people vigilant as to Japan's actions and intentions," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing.
    Visits to the shrine by prominent Japanese officials anger neighbours China and South Korea, which consider Yasukuni a symbol of Japan's militarism and a reminder of its wartime atrocities.
    Inada joined Abe and Barack Obama on Tuesday (December 27) for the first visit by a Japanese leader and a U.S. president to Pearl Harbor to commemorate the victims of the Japanese attack 75 years ago.
    It was Inada's first Yasukuni homage since the hawkish politician became defence chief in August. A regular visitor to the complex, revered by Japanese nationalists, she was visiting Japanese troops in Africa on the Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender, a key date for commemorations.
    Abe visited Yasukuni in December 2013 but has since refrained, instead sending symbolic offerings on key memorial dates.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register