China's Ministry of National Defense on Friday urged Japan to expedite the destruction of chemical weapons it abandoned in China, citing the ongoing environmental and public health threats they pose.
The Chinese government released a white paper titled "China's Arms Control, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation in the New Era" in late November, which states Japan should thoroughly destroy the Japanese abandoned chemical weapons (JACWs), citing historical responsibilities and long-lasting damage the weapons have inflicted on the Chinese people.
"During the war of aggression against China, in blatant violation of international law, the Japanese militarists used large amounts of chemical weapons, causing over 200,000 Chinese military and civilian casualties. To cover up its crime after being defeated, the Japanese side abandoned a large number of chemical weapons on Chinese territory, poisoning over 2,000 people. Until now, the JACWs still gravely jeopardize the safety of people's life and property and harm the environment," ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said when responding to a related query at a press conference.
"The Japanese side should have destroyed the abandoned chemical weapons in China in a secure, clean and thorough way much earlier. Yet the overall disposal process has been severely delayed due to the lack of proactive efforts from the Japanese side. Eliminating the hazards of JACWs is Japan's unshirkable historical, political and legal responsibility, and also an international obligation under the Chemical Weapons Convention. The Chinese side urges the Japanese side to conduct serious soul-searching on its crime of aggression, earnestly fulfill its responsibilities and obligations, increase input in various aspects, and make all-out efforts to expedite the JACWs disposal process. We request the Japanese side to spare no effort to collect and provide information about the JACWs for the Chinese side in a timely manner, fully assist us in leads search and identification, earnestly shoulder its responsibility in the treatment of polluted water and soil, so as to restore a safe and clean environment to the Chinese people at an early date, and 'a world free of chemical weapons' for humanity," he said.
China urges Japan to speed up destruction of abandoned chemical weapons
