Chinese media attacks Japan's Shinzo Abe for visit to Yasukuni shrine

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/27/chinese-media-attacks-shinzo-abe-yasukuni-shrine

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Chinese newspapers rounded on the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, on Friday, describing his visit to the Yasukuni war dead shrine as "paying homage to devils" and warning that China had the ability to crush "provocative militarism".

On Thursday Abe visited Yasukuni, where Japanese leaders convicted as war criminals by an Allied tribunal after the second world war are honoured along with those who died in battle. The move has infuriated China and South Korea, both of which were occupied by Japanese forces until the end of the war, and prompted concern from the United States about deteriorating ties between the Asian neighbours.

In an editorial headlined "Abe's paying homage to the devils makes people outraged", the People's Liberation Army Daily said Abe's actions had "seriously undermined the stability of the region".

"On one hand, Abe is paying homage to war criminals, and on the other hand he talks about improving relations with China, South Korea and other countries," the newspaper said. "It is simply a sham, a mouthful of lies.

"Today, the Chinese people have the ability to defend peace and they have a greater ability to stop all provocative militarism."

In a separate commentary published under the pen name Zhong Sheng, or "voice of China", the Communist Party's People's Daily said: "History tells us that if people do not correctly understand the evils of the fascist war, cannot reflect on war crimes, a country can never [achieve] true rejuvenation."

The Global Times, an influential nationalistic tabloid owned by the People's Daily, urged China to shut its door to Abe and other Japanese officials who have visited the shrine this year.

"If condemnations are China's only recourse, then the nation is giving up its international political rights easily," the newspaper said. "Ineffective counter-measures will make China be seen as a 'paper tiger' in the eyes of the rest of the world.

"In the eyes of China, Abe, behaving like a political villain, is much like the terrorists and fascists on the commonly seen blacklists."

A survey on China's Sina Weibo microblogging site on Thursday showed that almost 70% of respondents would support a boycott of Japanese goods, with many users expressing outrage at the shrine visit. The survey was later removed.

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