New shrine visits ratchet tension

Beijing has questioned Tokyo's ability to acknowledge its past aggression as Japanese Cabinet ministers paid their respects at the Yasukuni shrine on Friday, the 69th anniversary of Japan's World War II defeat.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to the shrine, which honors 14 Class-A Japanese war criminals, in addition to the visits made by ministers and lawmakers, ratcheting up the tension between Japan and its neighbors.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that the visits by Internal Affairs Minister Yoshitaka Shindo and Keiji Furuya, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, reflect the Japanese government's incorrect attitude toward history. Yasukuni is dedicated to the memory of Japanese militarism and enshrines the souls of criminals found guilty of waging wars of aggression.