China's Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei urged Japan on Thursday to reflect deeply on its historical crimes, make a clean break with militarism, and get to the right path of peaceful development and good-neighborly friendship.
Hong made the statement at a press conference on China's V-Day commemorations, which some people in Japan said is a way of putting pressure on Japan, and some forces there have been attempting to distort the history of aggression.
Commenting on that, Hong said, "Defending historical facts and holding a correct view of history bear on human conscience, international justice and world peace. Whether Japan will have a correct perception and attitude towards history is a touchstone for the international community to judge whether Japan will uphold conscience and stick to the commitment to peaceful development."
"There has always been a force in Japan attempting to deny or glorify their aggression and distort or alter the history, or even justify the war crimes and honor the war criminals. That challenges the post-war international order, human conscience and all peace-loving people. In recent years, Japan has been drastically readjusting its security policy, increasing defense spending year after year, relaxing restrictions on arms export and seeking military breakthroughs. Japan's neighboring countries and other countries around the world cannot but strongly call into question Japan's commitment to the exclusively defense-oriented policy and the path to peaceful development," Hong continued.
"This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and Japan faces the questions posed by the history and the times. We hope Japan will face up to the history, deeply reflect on its historical crimes, make a clean break with militarism, and get to the right path of peaceful development and good-neighborly friendship," said Hong.
China will stage a massive military parade on September 3 in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, 26 foreign leaders will attend China's V-Day commemorations in Beijing, Hong announced at the press conference.
China urges Japan to deeply reflect on historical crimes
China urges Japan to deeply reflect on historical crimes
