China demands Japan face history after Abe's wife visits Yasukuni Shrine

BEIJING - China again demanded Japan squarely face its aggressive past and reflect upon it after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.

Akie Abe wrote on her Facebook page on Tuesday that she visited the war shrine in Tokyo earlier in the day, which honors 14 Class-A convicted war criminals among 2.5 million Japanese war dead of WWII.

"Japan should make a clean break from militarism and do more that will promote trust and reconciliation with its neighbors," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

Yasukuni Shrine is regarded as a symbol of the past Japanese militarism. Visits to the infamous shrine by Japanese leaders and officials have sparked strong criticism from China and the Republic of Korea.