China asks Japan to face history, reflect on its crime of aggression and responsibilities

China urged Japan to face up to history and deeply reflect on its crime of aggression and responsibilities ahead of the country's commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei said on Thursday that as China commemorates the 80th anniversary on Sept 3, Japan once again faces the questions posed by history and the times.

"We urge Japan to face up to history, deeply reflect on its crime of aggression and responsibilities, break away from militarism, and follow the path of peaceful development and good-neighborliness,” Hong said at a news conference.

Hong said that safeguarding historical truth and upholding the correct view of history is a matter of human conscience, international justice and global peace.

"Whether Japan can have a correct perception and attitude toward history is a touchstone to test its sincerity in honoring commitments to peace and development,” Hong said.

He noted that certain forces in Japan have long attempted to deny or whitewash the country's aggression, distort or falsify history, and even seek to rehabilitate war criminals. "Such moves pose as a challenge to the postwar international order, a challenge to human conscience, and a challenge to all peace-loving people,” Hong said.

The diplomat also voiced concern over Japan's drastic readjustment of its security policy, increase of defense spending year after year, relaxed restrictions on arms export, and the pursuit of military breakthroughs.

"These moves have raised serious doubts among Japan's neighboring countries and the international community about Tokyo's commitments to the ‘purely defensive defense' strategy and to the path of peaceful development,” Hong said.