China and South Korea condemned Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's surprise visit to a controversial shrine honoring Japanese war dead on Sunday.
"China resolutely opposes visits by Japanese leaders, in whatever form and at whatever time, to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Class A war criminals," Chinese Foreign ministry said in a statement.
"We express our strong dissatisfaction with this action by the Japanese leader," it said.
"The Japanese behavior can only damage Japan's own image and make it even more difficult to win the trust of Asian people on historical issues."
South Korea also denounced the visit.
"We express deep regret over Prime Minister Koizumi's visit to the shrine, a symbol of militarism," Seoul's foreign ministry said in a statement.
The shrine, a symbol of Japan's wartime imperialism, honors 2.5 million war dead including 14 designated as Class A criminals by the Allies in the trials that followed World War II.
China and South Korea were victims of Japanese imperialism during and before World War II.
"Visiting the Yasukuni Shrine was to express my respect and gratitude for those who had sacrificed their lives for the country," Koizumi told reporters after the visit.
He argued Sunday's visit was aimed to avoid upsetting Japan's neighbors.
"It is not my intention to generate anxiety and caution again among people at home and overseas by making a shrine visit on the anniversary of the end of World War II or around the day," he said in a statement issued after the visit.
"The visit to the Yasukuni also underlined our resolve that we should never wage a war again," the premier said.
Last year Koizumi visited the shrine on August 13, two days before the anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II, triggering strong condemnation from China and South Korea.
He became only the third Japanese prime minister to visit the shrine since 1978.
Koizumi said he had no plans to visit the shrine again in August.
"No way. (Visiting the shrine) is once a year," he told reporters.
Sunday's visit was in line with the shrine's twice a year peace ceremony, which begins later in the day, Koizumi said. The ceremony takes place in April and October.
(China Daily April 21, 2002)
