Abe's gift to infamous war shrine prompts call for Japan to 'reflect'

China urged Japan to "face up to and deeply reflect upon its history of aggression" after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a monetary offering to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine on the 72nd anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

"We are firmly opposed to Japan's wrongdoings," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday at a daily news conference in Beijing.

The Yasukuni Shrine honors 14 Class-A war criminals from World War II and is regarded as a symbol of past Japanese militarism. It is the fifth consecutive year that Abe sent a ritual offering to the shrine.