Top Japanese official vows to continue to promote friendship with China

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said Wednesday that Japan remains committed to building friendly relations with China, according to Kyoto News.

The Japanese government's top spokesman made the remarks in response to a question about Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent offering to the war-related Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.

According to Japanese media reports, Abe offered a potted "masakaki" to the Tokyo-based shrine during its spring festival on April 21-23. The cost of the plant, some 50,000 yen (417 U.S. dollars), was paid by Abe "out of his own pocket." The move has drawn criticism from Japan's opposition parties.

"Both Japan and China are determined to create a beautiful future for the bilateral ties while adopting a right viewpoint on history," Shiozaki said, adding that the two countries are striding forward in the same direction of constructing a strategic relationship based on common interests.

It is important for the two sides to work together to maintain the favorable momentum, he said.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said, "The Yasukuni Shrine issue is an important and sensitive political issue in China-Japan relations" She said the two countries had reached a consensus on removing bilateral political obstacles and pushing forward friendly cooperation. "We hope Japan strictly abides by the consensus," she added.

The Yasukuni Shrine, established in 1869 under Emperor Meiji, honors 2.5 million Japanese war dead including 14 class-A war criminals responsible for some of the worst atrocities during Japan's war of aggression against its Asian neighbors during World War II.