China’s foreign ministry publicly chastised Japan on Monday after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a recent interview that she is working to “create an environment” that would make visits to the Yasukuni Shrine possible. Spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters that “to forget history is to betray it; to deny guilt is to repeat it,” reiterating Beijing’s long-standing view that the shrine embodies Japan’s militarist past and honours 14 Class-A war criminals.
The dispute over Yasukuni is not merely symbolic. The shrine, which commemorates Japan’s war dead alongside convicted wartime leaders, has repeatedly provoked diplomatic rows with China and South Korea. Beijing framed the spat this week against the backdrop of the 80th anniversary of the Tokyo Trials, arguing that Japan should use the milestone year to offer sober reflection rather than gestures that might be read as rehabilitating militarism.
Takaichi’s comments reflect a broader political dynamic inside Japan, where a resurgent conservative wing of the ruling party has pressed for a more assertive national narrative and looser constraints on political engagement with symbols of the wartime state. For Tokyo’s neighbours, such moves are seen as signs that Japan has not fully grappled with its 20th-century imperial aggression, complicating efforts to build trust necessary for cooperation on regional security and economic issues.
Beijing’s intervention underscores how historical memory functions as a strategic tool in East Asian diplomacy. By linking the Yasukuni question to moral responsibility and international credibility, China is raising the political cost of any official rapprochement between Tokyo and the shrine. That pressure is likely aimed at deterring concrete steps — from official visits to educational or commemorative policies — that would inflame public opinion across the region.
The coming months will be a test of whether Tokyo’s leadership can balance domestic conservative pressures with the diplomatic imperative of stable relations with China and South Korea. Watch for ritualized moments — anniversary commemorations, state visits, and parliamentary debates — that can rapidly escalate rhetoric into retaliatory measures, from formal protests to calibrated adjustments in bilateral cooperation.