By choosing to send his customary donation to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proved that old habits die hard, said an editorial China Daily published on Thursday.

Abe’s stubbornness in persisting with the controversial practice does not help Japan and its neighbors put the past behind them, the editorial said.

No matter in what form, the Japanese leader's commemorative activity is a bitter reminder of the brutality that Japan inflicted on its neighbors as it pursued its imperial ambitions, it said.