China urges Japanese right-wing forces to face up to past war crimes

China on Wednesday urged Japanese right-wing forces to face up to Japan's war crimes during World War II.

Mao Ning, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, made the statement when asked to comment on Japanese media reports that Japan's right-wing forces have been paying people to use AI on a large scale to churn out disinformation on its history of aggression against China and misguide the public.

"After WWII, instead of doing serious soul-searching on its history of aggression against China, Japan's right-wing forces have resorted to every means to distort the facts and whitewash Japan's historical crimes. By paying visits to the Yasukuni war shrine, revising history textbooks, and tampering with the content of the memorial halls' exhibitions, the right-wing forces have been spreading a wrong perception on history to misguide the Japanese society, in particular, the young generations. Today, the right-wing forces even use the new technology to poison the public opinion for accelerating their remilitarization agenda," she said at a regular press conference in Beijing.

"Such moves are even more egregious and pose even greater risks. The right-wing forces' attempts constitute a blatant provocation to the international fairness and justice and the postwar international order, as well as a threat to regional peace and stability. The international community must stay on high alert and firmly reject such moves," Mao said.

"This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials. The truth of history shall not be denied, and the verdict of history shall not be challenged. There is solid evidence of Japan's crimes on its war of aggression against China. A growing body of new evidence has further brought to light the crimes of the Japanese militarism. China will stand with all peace-loving people around the world to defend historical truth and justice," she said.

China urges Japanese right-wing forces to face up to past war crimes

The mainland supports exchanges and cooperation on films and television across the Taiwan Strait, and hopefully more high-quality mainland films can be screened to the audience in Taiwan, said Chen Binhua, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

Chen's remarks came as the mainland hit film "Dear You" is set to premiere in August at the Taoyuan Film Festival, receiving a warm welcome and anticipation from Taiwan moviegoers.

The film, known as "Love Letters to Grandma" in Chinese, centers on Xiaowei, a young man who travels to Thailand to find his long-lost grandfather, only to discover a trove of decades-old letters revealing secrets of romance, sacrifice, filial piety, and the enduring bonds of family.

With its heartfelt portrayal of family value, the Chaoshan (Teochew)-dialect film has quickly gained traction since its release, striking a deep chord with Chinese people both at home and abroad.

"We hope Taiwan audience can see their grandparents' and great-grandparents' experiences reflected in the film 'Dear You', understanding their attachment to their ancestral homeland, their care for relatives and friends, and recognize that Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have shared culture and emotions. We actively support the cross-Strait film and television exchanges and cooperation, and hope that more high-quality mainland films can be screened in Taiwan," Chen said.

Mainland supports cross-Strait film, TV exchanges, cooperation: spokesman