Yasukuni was a Shinto site where Japan honored its fallen soldiers. Now it pays homage to war criminals. Those prime ministers who make pilgrimages to the shrine should be publicly criticized.
Sino-Japanese relations are now at their most strained since the resumption of diplomatic ties in 1972, China's think tanks say.
Chinese FM clarified China's principles and stance in a serious manner, and demanded Japan make efforts to remove the political barriers of relations.
Japan and China are trying to arrange two-way talks between their leaders at a summit of APEC leaders in November in Beijing, in a bid to mend ties strained over a territorial spat and wartime history, the Nikkei business daily said on Monday.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Tokyo Friday to start a five-nation tour of Latin America, local media reported.
Tadatomo Yoshida, Japan's Social Democratic Party leader, said he will use his upcoming trip to Beijing to sound out the Chinese government about a possible summit between the nations.
Trade ministers from China and Japan met on Saturday on the sidelines of the APEC ministers' meeting, in the first ministerial-level talks since the dispute over the Diaoyu Islands began in 2012.
A flurry of exchanges between China and Japan in the absence of high-level political contacts highlights efforts on both sides to mend ties, observers said.
Former US ambassador to China Gary Locke paid an unexpected visit to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall on Thursday, saying "history cannot be forgotten".
US President Barack Obama steps out from Air Force One as he arrives at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo April 23, 2014. Obama arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday at the start of a four-nation trip that comes at a time of rising tension in the region, and as the United States urges Japan's neighbour North Korea not to conduct another nuclear test.
Dozens of citizens congregated near the Japanese Prime Minister's Official Residence on Wednesday evening.
US President Barack Obama, who prides on being "America's first Pacific President," arrives in Japan for the start of a four-nation Asia tour.