Japan exhorted to face wartime history ahead of Nanjing Massacre National Memorial Day

As China is set to observe its 12th National Memorial Day for Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, Beijing urged Tokyo on Friday to undertake a genuine reflection on its wartime past, draw lessons from history, completely reject militarism and take concrete actions to eliminate its lingering shadow.

As this year marks the 88th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that China will hold the national memorial ceremony in accordance with the decision adopted by the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

The Nanjing Massacre occurred when Japanese troops captured the city in Jiangsu province on Dec 13, 1937. Over six weeks, they killed more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.

In 2014, the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress designated Dec 13 as the National Memorial Day for Victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

Guo noted that Japan's wartime leadership launched aggressive military operations across Asia under the pretext of the so-called "survival-threatening" situation, inflicting immense humanitarian suffering and leaving a stain on the record of human civilization.

Guo added that for decades, the Japanese government has long abetted the actions by right-wing forces that run counter to historical justice.

He said multiple Japanese prime ministers and officials have visited the war-related Yasukuni Shrine and that some politicians have publicly questioned the spirit of the Murayama Statement — a landmark expression of remorse issued in 1995 for Japan's wartime aggression. He added that Japan has repeatedly revised its textbooks in an attempt to whitewash its acts of aggression and rewrite the history of its invasions.

"These egregious moves constitute a blatant challenge to the post-war international order and an affront to human conscience," Guo said, adding that they have triggered strong indignation and vigilance in the international community.

He reiterated that Japanese militarism is the enemy of people worldwide and emphasized that China will work with all peace-loving countries and individuals to jointly safeguard the outcomes of World War II and the post-war international order. "China will never allow Japan's right-wing forces to turn back the wheel of history, never allow external interference to lay their hands on China's Taiwan region and never allow any resurgence of militarism," Guo said.

The Japanese government has recently refused to clearly reaffirm the Taiwan-related commitments outlined in the four political documents between China and Japan, repeatedly resorting to vague statements that its position "has not changed".

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities have aligned themselves with Japan's erroneous words and actions, engaging in political maneuvers such as lifting restrictions on certain aquatic product imports and organizing delegation visits to Japan.

Noting that Japan imposed colonial rule in Taiwan for half a century and committed innumerable crimes there, Guo said that the DPP authorities have turned a blind eye to Japan's crimes and the evidence, even brazenly glorifying Japan's colonial rule, adding that the "Taiwan independence" separatists who have forgotten their roots will inevitably be spurned by the people and condemned by history.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn