China summons Japanese envoy to protest over shrine visits

China on Thursday summoned Japan's ambassador to strongly protest and condemn the visits of Japanese cabinet members to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine which Beijing says honours the "war criminals".

Chinese vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin summoned Japanese ambassador Masato Kitera and lodged representations over the issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

It is an open challenge to historical justice and human conscience that Japanese cabinet members visited the shrine which honours Class-A war criminals on the 68th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, Hong was quoted as saying by the official media.