Justin Bieber apologizes after visiting Yasukuni Shrine

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber apologized to his Chinese fans after he put a picture up on Instagram in front of the controversial Yasukuni shrine in Japan this week.

After "Beliebers" in China expressed outrage, the 20-year-old singer deleted the image.

He apologized and said that, while in Japan, he asked his driver to pull over where he saw a beautiful shrine. "I was misled to think the shrines were only a place of prayer. To anyone I have offended, I am extremely sorry. I love you China and I love you Japan," Bieber captioned the screenshot.

Qin Gang of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs made this comment:

"We oppose Japanese government leaders visiting the shrine, which honors Second World War Class A war criminals. I hope this Canadian singer, after his visit, will understand more about Japan's militaristic history and their militaristic thinking."

The Shinto shrine in Tokyo honors 2.5 million people who died during World War 2, including 14 convicted war criminals.

China and South Korea, in particular, see Yasukuni as a symbol of Japan's past militarism and see visits to it as a lack of understanding or remorse over the island nation's wartime history.