Neighbours Urge Japan To Stick To History; China Calls For Break With Militarism

Stone-carved guardian dogs sit at the entrance of a memorial compound honoring World War II-era war criminals in Koyasan Okuno-in temple in Koya town, Wakayama prefecture, central Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga acknowledged Wednesday that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on April 29 sent a note to the Koyasan temple's ceremony honoring hundreds of war criminals that praised their contributions to the country. Suga said that Abe sent the note to the ceremony, but in his capacity as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, not as prime minister. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

China and South Korea on Thursday urged Japan to stick to history and reflect on its wartime aggression after Tokyo confirmed that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a note earlier this year to a ceremony honoring more than a thousand World War II-era war criminals praising their contributions, AP reports.

China's government on Thursday called on Japan to "break clean with militarism" after Tokyo confirmed that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a note earlier this year to a ceremony honoring more than a thousand World War II-era war criminals praising their contributions.

Abe sent the message to an annual ceremony April 29 at the Koyasan Buddhist temple in central Japan in his capacity as head of the ruling party, not as prime minister, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Wednesday.

"I humbly express my deepest sympathy for the martyrs ... who sacrificed their souls to become the foundation of peace and prosperity in Japan today," Abe wrote in his note, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press through the ceremony organizers' office.

Many Asian countries that suffered from Japanese militarism in the first half of the 20th century see honoring war criminals as a lack of remorse by Tokyo for wartime aggression. The revelation of Abe's note could especially worsen Japan's ties with China and South Korea, which have repeatedly criticized Abe's views on wartime history, widely seen as revisionist.