Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in Beijing Thursday that Japan should honor its word on reproaching itself for its history of invasion.

On Wednesday, Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi again defended his visits to the Yasukuni Shrine honoring Japanese war dead, saying that it is "a spiritual issue."

When asked to comment on Koizumi's remarks, Qin told a regular press conference that China's stance on the issue of shrine visits is well known.

"The current difficult situation in Sino-Japanese relations was not caused by China," Qin said, hoping the Japanese side would realize this.

He said China and Japan should enhance exchanges and cooperation, and China's stance on developing good-neighborly relations with Japan is consistent and clear.

"We hope Japan will properly handle issues concerning the political basis of bilateral ties, consider Chinese people's feelings, and create the conditions for an improvement of Sino-Japanese ties," Qin said.

Source: Xinhua