A group of Chinese historians gathered at the Memorial Hall of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Wednesday, to condemn Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's latest visit to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japanese war criminals.

The historians labeled Koizumi's visit "a political farce", which they said is "a poison" for China-Japan relations.

"Koizumi's shrine visit insults the people victimized by Japanese militarist aggression, challenges international justice and poisons Sino-Japanese relations", said Luo Huanzhang, a senior research fellow at the Military History Department of the Chinese Academy of Military Science.

"By trampling on the feelings of Chinese people and people from other war-ravaged countries, Koizumi's wrongdoing will have a long-term negative impact on the future of Sino-Japanese relations," Luo stressed.

Relations between the two countries have turned chilly since Koizumi began making visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, where 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including 14 convicted class A World War II war criminals, are honored.

Koizumi has visited the Shrine each year since coming to office in 2001. But it is the first time he has made the pilgrimage on the August 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

"The visit to the Yasukuni Shrine goes right to the political foundation of China-Japan relations and demonstrates Japan's view of its actions during the war," said Tang Zhongnan, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

He said that Koizumi's successor will find himself in a difficult situation as his latest shrine visit has further soured Tokyo's ties with China and other Asian neighbors.

Koizumi will step down in September. Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, the front-runner to replace Koizumi, has backed Koizumi's pilgrimages and visited the shrine himself on August 15 last year. Media reports say he secretly did so again in April. But he refused to say whether he would go there if he became Japanese prime minister.

"It will be hard for the statesman replacing Koizumi to deal with the Yasukuni Shrine issue," Tang said.

"Correctly understanding and dealing with that part of history constituted the political basis for the resumption and development of China-Japan relations after the war", said He Li, a professor with China's University of National Defense. He called on the Japanese government and leaders to follow historical trends, remove political barriers and push Sino-Japanese relations back onto a normal development track as quickly as possible.

The Memorial Hall, which Koizumi visited in 2001, is situated beside the Lugou (Marco Polo) Bridge in Wanping, west of Beijing. It is dedicated to the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945).

Relics on display, including archives, guns, cannons and blood- stained clothing, illustrate the atrocities committed by the Japanese aggressors against the Chinese people.

"At the Memorial Hall on Oct. 8, 2001, during his trip to China, Koizumi offered his apology and condolences to Chinese victims of Japanese aggression," recalled Tang Xiaohui, deputy director of the Memorial Hall.

"However, on Tuesday he once again visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 top war criminals among others, provoking the ire of Chinese people and people from other Asian countries that suffered from Japanese aggression."

"Koizumi paid homage to war criminals, placing the shrine visit and prayers for peace on an equal footing. The absurdity of this has hurt the feelings of the victims of the war", Chen noted.

Source: Xinhua