Two organizations of overseas Chinese in Japan issued a joint statement on Tuesday to solemnly protest against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine which honors Japan's war criminals.

"On behalf on more than 600,000 overseas Chinese in Japan and Chinese-Japanese, we are expressing our profound frustration and indignation over Prime Minister Koizumi's fifth visit to the Yasukuni Shrine. It is widely known that the shrine honors Class-A war criminals who inflicted great agony on the Asian people including those in China and Japan. It is a facility where Japan's aggression is glorified," the statement said.

Citing a recent high court's ruling, the statement pointed out that the visit has evidently and seriously violated the principle of separation of state and religion stated in the constitution.

The prime minister's wrong-headed practice also has constituted an insult to the people in Asia including Japan, and is set to undermine the already tense political relationship and the ever- growing economic ties with China, the statement said.

They lodged a solemn protest against Koizumi's visit and asked his to halt such an act.

Source: Xinhua