BEIJING - China called on Japan to break from its aggressive past and win the trust of its Asian neighbours on Thursday, a day after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a support message to a ceremony honoring Class-A and other war criminals.

China-Japan Relations

Abe's message, sent as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, said that those in the military laid the foundation for Japan's peace and prosperity today by sacrificing themselves.

Abe is the only prime minister who sent message to the ceremony while in office since the event began in 1994.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang?urged the Japanese side to earnestly abide by the commitments of reflection on the history of aggression and take tangible actions to get the trust of neighboring countries and the international community.

"The Japanese government needs to sincerely reflect on its history of aggression and make a clean break with militarism, that provides an important foundation for Japan to rebuild and develop relations with its Asian neighbours after the war," said Qin in a statement posted on the ministry's website on Thursday.

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