China urges Japan to remember history after Abe's wife visits war shrine

BEIJING - China on Tuesday called on Japan to face up to its past aggressions after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife visited the notorious Yasukuni war shrine.

Akie Abe on Monday updated her Facebook page with the news that, yet again, she had chosen Yasukuni as her last visit of the year, according to media reports. Her Facebook page also features posts on visits to the shrine in May and August this year.

The Yasukuni Shrine, regarded by many as a symbol of Japanese militarism, honors 14 Class-A convicted war criminals as well as millions of war dead.

"We urge Japan to squarely face and reflect upon its aggressive past, make a clear break from militarism, and make efforts to strengthen mutual trust and realize reconciliation with its Asian neighbors," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said Tuesday at a daily press briefing.

China hopes Japan can match its words with actions in a consistent way on the history issue, Lu said.