China and Japan just broke the ice and supposed to move forward to a new step for the bilateral relationship, but now it is a question if this gonna happen. Read the report from AP and find out more:
Japan’s ruling party declared on Wednesday that its members would continue to visit a Tokyo war shrine, defying critics who say the visits glorify militarism and risking a deterioration in relations with China and South Korea. Dozens of Japanese lawmakers pay respects to the country’s war dead at Yasukuni Shrine during festivals in April and October.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who succeeded the popular Junichiro Koizumi promising to pursue a more assertive foreign policy, has not visited the shrine since he took office in September, though previously he made regular pilgrimages.
Koizumi’s repeated visits to Yasukuni Shrine ruptured Tokyo’s diplomatic ties with China and South Korea, which heavily suffered under Japan’s colonial aggression during the first half of the 1900s.
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Read related CDT’s post: China and Japan Look to Mend Fences.