China slams Japan’s Takaichi over Yasukuni ritual offering, warns of ‘remilitarisation’

Chinese officials have vehemently rebuked Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent ritual offering at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, warning of potential "remilitarisation" and strained bilateral relations. The embassy in Japan denounced the shrines as a "symbol of Japanese militarism" and vowed that any similar acts would be deemed an effort to downplay war crimes and advance military expansion.

The Chinese academic Wu Yingjie explained that Takaichi's actions mirror those of her predecessors, choosing to avoid personal visits to prevent international condemnation while still honoring war dead. The Yasukuni Shrine commemorates over 2.46 million Japanese war casualties, including 14 Class-A war criminals from World War II, a fact that has prompted ongoing protests from neighboring Asian countries.

China's foreign ministry has consistently labeled the shrine a "war criminal shrine" since 2021, aligning its stance with previous condemnations. The latest diplomatic tension escalates a long-standing rift that began when Takaichi suggested a military confrontation with Taiwan could be justified for Japan's security, a remark that has infuriated Beijing.

Despite these tensions, Takaichi has expressed her intention to attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China, pending parliamentary approval, though a high-level bilateral meeting between the two nations appears unlikely without significant changes in Japan's stance on Taiwan.