While Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's latest visit to Yasukuni Shrine throws up yet another obstacle on the road to better Sino-Japanese ties, Chinese leaders are troubled for another reason.
The shrine visit could trigger large demonstrations similar to the anti-Japanese protests that broke out around China last year -- protests that could easily turn against the government.
"China has been trying to calm the public and avoid protests, or at least minimize" them after Koizumi's latest visit to the shrine, said Joseph Cheng, a professor at City University of Hong Kong.
"There is an understanding that protests against Japan could easily turn into protests against the government. Spontaneous activities are seen as dangerous," Cheng said.