China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday it had lodged a solemn representation with Japan over reports that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.

"We urge Japan to earnestly honor its statement and commitment of facing up to and reflecting on its history of aggression, make a clean break with militarism, and win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community with concrete actions," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a daily press briefing on Monday.

The shrine in central Tokyo has long been a source of diplomatic friction with Japan's neighbors as it honors convicted war criminals along with other war dead. Fourteen Class-A convicted war criminals rest here.