Premier Wen JIabao yesterday urged Japanese leaders not to pay obeisance at the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war criminals, if they want to improve bilateral relations.

Repeated visits by Japanese leaders to the controversial shrine - where the country's war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals of World War II, are honored - have seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people, and undermined Sina-Japanese relations, Wen told journalists from 16 Japanese news organizations yesterday.

"I hope it will never happen again," he said.