Japan urged to expedite removal of chemical weapons from Chinese territory

Beijing has urged Tokyo to fulfill its responsibilities and expedite dealing with chemical weapons left by Japan in China to return the Chinese people to a safe and clean environment.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, while Tuesday marks the 28th anniversary of the enforcement of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

During a daily news briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the removal of the toxic harm of Japan's abandoned chemical weapons is a historical, political and legal responsibility that Japan cannot evade, and it is also an international obligation stipulated by the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The abandonment of chemical weapons by the invading Japanese army was one of the serious crimes committed during Japan's war of aggression against China, and Japan should comprehensively, completely, and accurately implement the plan beyond 2022 for destroying Japanese abandoned chemical weapons in China, he added.

According to the spokesman, with strong assistance from China, Japan has excavated and recovered around 150,000 pieces of abandoned chemical weapons and destroyed approximately 120,000 pieces.

"However, the overall progress in dealing with Japan's abandoned chemical weapons remains seriously lagging," Guo said, adding that there are still remnants of those weapons on Chinese territory, posing a serious threat to the lives, property, and ecological security of the people in relevant areas of China.