China's state media on Friday urged "excessive" counter-measures after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's inflammatory war shrine visit, as analysts warned against the dangers of provoking smouldering regional resentments.
The comment came after China summoned Tokyo's ambassador yesterday to deliver a "strong reprimand" after Abe paid respects at the Yasukuni shrine earlier in the day. The site honours several high-level officials executed for war crimes after World War II, a reminder of Japan's 20th century aggression and a source of bitterness for China and other Asian countries.
South Korea, which also has a litany of historical resentments against Japan, slammed Abe's visit as "anachronistic behaviour."
And the US issued a rare criticism, saying it was "disappointed" over an act "that will exacerbate tensions with Japan's neighbours".
The Global Times, a paper that is close to China's ruling Communist Party, said that people were "getting tired of... Futile 'strong condemnations'".
"China needs to take appropriate, even slightly excessive countermeasures" or else "be seen as a 'paper tiger'", it warned in an editorial.