By The South Asia Times

BEIJING - China strongly condemned Japanese politicians' visits and offerings to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine on Saturday, the 81st anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender, calling the actions a "challenge to the postwar international order."

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Beijing "strongly deplores" the moves and has lodged "serious protests" with Tokyo.

"The Yasukuni war shrine is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarism," the spokesperson said, describing it as a shrine for war criminals because it honors 14 Class-A war criminals convicted after World War II.

"No pretext whatsoever can hide the Japanese politicians' true intention which is to change the verdict on the war criminals, cover up Japan's war crimes, distort the historical facts, and pave the way for accelerating remilitarization," the statement said.

The condemnation followed Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi's visit to Yasukuni on Saturday. He was joined by Economic Security Minister Kimi Onoda and other Cabinet members, marking the seventh consecutive year that serving cabinet members have visited the shrine on the surrender anniversary.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi did not visit the shrine in person but sent a ritual offering through senior officials of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party .

According to Kyodo News, she also performed a remote act of worship from a nearby location. Senior LDP executives - Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki, General Council Chairperson Haruko Arimura, and Election Strategy Committee Chairperson Yasutoshi Nishimura - visited the shrine together on Saturday, a move Japanese media described as "extremely rare" .

The actions drew opposition from Japanese peace advocates and scholars. Atsushi Kouketsu, emeritus professor at Yamaguchi University, called Yasukuni Shrine "a shrine of aggression" and a breeding ground for militarist ideology, warning that Takaichi's actions signal the ruling establishment's endorsement of the ideological roots of Japan's past wars of aggression.

Beijing called the actions "an affront to historical justice, a challenge to the foundational norms of civilization, and a provocation against the postwar international order" . The Chinese Defense Ministry also urged Japan to "do serious soul-searching on its history of aggression, make a clean break with militarism, and earn trust from its Asian neighbors" .

South Korea also expressed "deep regret" over the offerings and visits, urging Japanese leaders to "squarely face up to history and demonstrate their humble reflection and sincere remorse" .

Yasukuni Shrine, located in central Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, honors about 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals. It has long been a source of diplomatic friction between Japan and its neighbors, particularly China and South Korea, both of which suffered under Japan's wartime occupation and aggression.

The latest dispute comes as Japan continues to strengthen its defense capabilities, with Chinese officials warning against what they describe as Japan's "dangerous acts of remilitarization"