Japanese PM visits war shrine, angering China and South Korea

“What Abe has done is leading Japan in a very dangerous direction. Lessons from history must be learned. The international community including China must heighten its vigilance and never allow the wheel of history to be turned back,” Wang said.

China's state broadcaster CCTV closely covered news of the shrine visit, wrapping it into an already critical feature of Abe's past year in office. The foreign ministry's condemnation of the visit was the network's top news item on its noon nationwide bulletin.

South Korea's minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Yoo Jinryong, labeled the visit “an anachronistic act” that “hurts not only the ties between South Korea and Japan but also fundamentally damages the stability and cooperation in Northeast Asia.” His briefing was broadcast live on TV.

A statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo took note of Abe's expression of remorse, but said “the United States hopes that both Japan and its neighbors will find constructive ways to deal with sensitive issues from the past.”