China PM urges Abe to avoid Tokyo WWII shrine
TOKYO -- China's premier urged his Japanese counterpart not to visit a Tokyo war shrine at the center of tensions over Japan's past military aggression in Asia, a news report said Wednesday.
Speaking to Japanese media in Beijing ahead of a three-day visit to Japan next week, Wen Jiabao said that "individual Japanese leaders have visited (the shrine) numerous times and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people," Kyodo News agency reported.
"I hope this will never happen again," the agency quoted Wen as saying.
Tokyo-Beijing ties soured under Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, who repeatedly visited the shrine despite China's protests. Relations have improved since Abe took office last September, and he has not since visited the shrine.
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Speaking to Japanese media in Beijing ahead of a three-day visit to Japan next week, Wen Jiabao said that "individual Japanese leaders have visited (the shrine) numerous times and hurt the feelings of the Chinese people," Kyodo News agency reported.
"I hope this will never happen again," the agency quoted Wen as saying.
Tokyo-Beijing ties soured under Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, who repeatedly visited the shrine despite China's protests. Relations have improved since Abe took office last September, and he has not since visited the shrine.