Lee's visit to shrine blasted

Beijing yesterday repeated its strong displeasure over the Japanese government's decision to allow Lee Teng-hui to visit the country where the former Taiwan leader visited the Yasukuni Shrine.

"Based on what Lee Teng-hui has done in Japan, it is clear what his intentions are, and we have again expressed our strong dissatisfaction with the Japanese side for allowing Lee to visit Japan," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said yesterday during a regular press briefing.

Lee, 84, said his visit to the shrine was intended to pay respect to his elder brother, who died fighting for the Japanese during World War II and is enshrined alongside Japanese war criminals.