Members of several social organizations in Taiwan on Friday protested against Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's visit to the Yasukuni shrine in front of the Taipei Office of Interchange Association of Japan.

Protesters from organizations including the Labor Party of Taiwan, the Alliance for the Reunification of China, Hsinchu city labor union of security guards, as well as students and other residents chanted slogans such as "Abe honored war criminals, challenge to justice of history" and "Japanese militarism endangers peace in Asia."

Labor Party of Taiwan chairman Wu Rong-yuan said Abe's visit to the Yasukuni shrine, which honors Class A WWII criminals, not only hurts the feelings of the Asian people, but also challenged the justice of history and human conscience.

Wu added that people in Taiwan who had historically been victimized by Japanese militarists' aggression and colonization should also lodge their vehement protests and condemnation of the Abe administration, which showed no repentance about Japan's war history.

Kao Chin Su-mei, a Taiwan aboriginal rights advocate and a former actress, said Abe has treated history in an extremely irresponsible manner by visiting the Yasukuni shrine, and said she was disgusted by the move.

As a country that inflicted tremendous pain on people in many Asian countries through aggression, the Japanese government should reflect on itself, apologize and redeem itself, rather than "visit war monsters" or "defend itself with sophistry," Kao Chin said.

Abe visited the Yasukuni shrine on Thursday. His visit is the first by an acting Japanese prime minister since Junichiro Koizumi visited on Aug. 15 in 2006. The notorious Yasukuni shrine honors Japan's war dead, including 14 Class-A convicted WWII criminals.