MACAO, Oct. 19(Xinhuanet)-- A major newspaper of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Wednesday criticized Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for his contentious visits to the war criminal-related Yasukuni Shrine.

Macao Daily News, the leading local Chinese Newspaper, said in its editorial that Koizumi's shrine visits hurt the feelings of many Asian nations including China, which has suffered a lot during the Japanese invasion.

Koizumi's visits, a defiance to all Chinese people, have triggered strong backlash from China, South Korea and other Asian nations, according to the newspaper.

The Yasukuni Shrine, where 14 Class-A war criminals are honored, is a symbol of the Japanese militarism and Koizumi's visits display a recognition of the militarism, said the editorial.

It added that Koizumi's recent shrine visit once again demonstrated that the right-wing politic power in Japan will never quit its efforts to distort the history.

The editorial said Koizumi's shrine visit on October 17 will cast shadow on the China-Japanese relations and the prime minister will be culpable for the damage of the mutual relations. Enditem