A symposium was held in Tokyo on June 29 to uncover suppressed or distorted historical facts omitted from Japanese textbooks and to draw attention to the war crimes Japan had committed in the 20th century.
The symposium was convened by the Sino-Japanese Oral History and Culture Research Association before the 88th anniversary of the Lugou Bridge Incident, or July 7 Incident, in which Japanese troops attacked Chinese forces at the Lugou Bridge in Wanping Town nearly Beijing (then Beiping), marking the beginning of Japan's full-scale invasion of China, and the beginning of China's whole-nation resistance war against Japanese aggression. Traumas of that war remain vivid in China, but some forces in Japan still attempt to conceal the wartime atrocities.
"Japan has carried out the so-called 'peace education' with by emphasizing on the atomic bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the bombing of Tokyo. But it neglects and ignores the catastrophes it had inflicted on China, the Philippines, and Malaysia and other Asian countries. Such is not a way to truly advocate peace and it is meaningless," said Mori Takeshi, a member of the Sino-Japanese Oral History and Culture Research Association.
"The history of Japan doing harms in the war is gradually vanishing from school textbooks. Teachers could only use such textbooks, and the result it that students could not get the true history," said Makoto Kato, a participant.
Participants of the symposium called for Japan's admission to its aggression.
"Japan should reflect on the wrong war it had initiated, and acknowledged the facts that it had invaded others, only by doing so could Japan win the trust of the international community and truly safeguard its reputation," said Takakage Fujita, secretary-general of the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement, a Japanese civic group.
Tokyo symposium draws attention to Japan's war crimes
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
