Myanmar media official urges Japan to face wartime atrocities on "Death Railway"

Marking the 81st anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender at the end of World War II, a Myanmar media official said Tokyo has never properly faced its wartime crimes on the "Death Railway" and warned that distorting history would undermine regional peace and cooperation.

In 1942, the Japanese military pursued a brutal campaign to build a railway connecting Thailand and Myanmar, a strategic move to secure supply lines and tighten its grip on Southeast Asia.

More than 60,000 allied prisoners of war and hundreds of thousands of local laborers were forced into the project.

The inhuman conditions claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people, earning the railway its notorious name — the "Death Railway."

Japan has never offered an apology to Myanmar or other nations for the atrocities committed during the construction of the "Death Railway," said U Khin Maung Zaw, vice chairman of the Myanmar Press Council, in an interview with China Central Television.

"Take for example the Thanbyuzayat railway — the so‑called 'Death Railway.' Many Burmese were forced to work on it and lost their lives. But Japan has never really acknowledged that part of history, offered any apology, honored the victims, or promised such tragedy won't happen again. And it's not just Myanmar. The same goes for the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other nations," he said.

He urged Japan to confront its wartime past and take a sincere path toward peace.

"These atrocities are historical facts. Hundreds of thousands were killed, and the scale is truly staggering. This is a reality that cannot be erased. If they simply deny or distort this part of history, it will undermine regional cooperation, peace and stability. Such an approach is extremely dangerous," he said.

Myanmar media official urges Japan to face wartime atrocities on "Death Railway"

China's border inspection authorities processed a total of 499 million inbound and outbound passenger trips in the first eight months of 2026, up 8.7 percent year on year, official data showed on Thursday.

Of the total, 242 million entries and exits were made by mainland residents, 196 million made by Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents, and 61.287 million made by foreign nationals, up 10 percent, 8.9 percent and 19.5 percent year on year, respectively.

Among foreign nationals entering China, 23.72 million entered visa-free, accounting for 77.6 percent of all foreign entries and marking a 26.8 percent increase year on year.

Border authorities inspected 28.148 million trips by various means of transportation, up 15 percent year on year. This included 665,000 flight trips, 75,000 train trips, 306,000 ship journeys, and 27.102 million motor vehicle trips, up 0.5 percent, 5.6 percent, 4.1 percent and 15.6 percent over the same period of last year, respectively. In recent years, the National Immigration Administration has rolled out a series of measures to facilitate cross-border movement of people and support high-level opening-up and high-quality development. These measures have significantly shortened clearance times for both Chinese and foreign travelers and transportation vehicles, while continuously improving port clearance convenience.

China sees surge in cross-border passenger trips in first eight months