China strongly condemned on Wednesday Japan's negative moves related to the notorious Yasukuni Shrine and urged the international community to resolutely respond to such moves to prevent any possible resurgence of Japanese militarism.

Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, said the ritual offerings sent to the war-linked shrine and visits made by Japanese lawmakers have further triggered concern over the rise of neo-militarism 80 years after the beginning of the Tokyo trials, which held Japanese leaders accountable for war crimes committed during World War II.

Guo made the remarks at a regular news briefing in Beijing after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual "masakaki" tree offering to the shrine on Tuesday and made a monetary offering on Wednesday, despite China's firm opposition and repeated condemnation.

Also on Wednesday, Minoru Kiuchi, Japan's economic growth strategy minister and a member of Takaichi's Cabinet, visited the shrine as did Haruko Arimura, head of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party's general council, Takayuki Kobayashi, the LDP's policy chief, and a supra-partisan group of more than 120 lawmakers.

"Japan's negative moves related to the Yasukuni war shrine constitute a blatant provocation against international justice and an affront to human conscience. China is strongly indignant and severely condemns such moves," Guo said.

The nature of the issue concerning the Yasukuni Shrine, he said, is whether Japan can rightly perceive and deeply reflect on its history of militarist aggression, draw lessons from the past and avoid repeating that part of history.

Guo added that the matter bears on the political foundation of China-Japan relations, on Japan's national credibility, and on the postwar international order as well as peace and justice in the world.

The Yasukuni Shrine, a symbol of Japanese militarism and wartime aggression, honors Japanese militarists including 14 convicted Class-A war criminals. Among them are Hideki Tojo, a key architect of Japan's wartime aggression in Asia, and Iwane Matsui, who ordered the Nanjing Massacre in December 1937.

In recent times, there has been a marked increase in the Japanese government's negative moves and reckless provocative acts on issues concerning China's Taiwan region and the history of WWII, as well as military and security issues. Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan have had a grave impact on China-Japan relations.

Guo, the spokesman, noted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Tokyo trials, which found Japanese militarism and militarists guilty of launching and executing the war of aggression and related crimes, thus upholding historical truth, international justice and human dignity.

"Today, 80 years later, Japanese neo-militarism is rearing its ugly head and gaining strength, threatening to cast a shadow on world peace and security," he said. "The international community must respond resolutely to prevent any possible resurgence of Japanese militarism."