Experts in China and around the globe hailed the decision by China's top legislature on Thursday to ratify two new national days regarding Japan's wartime atrocities in China.
A Foreign Ministry leader on Thursday urged Japan's leaders to reflect honestly on Japanese aggression following China's designation of two national days to mark victory in the anti-Japanese war and to commemorate victims of the Nanjing Massacre.
Japan should face up to and reflect on its aggression history and not make critical comments about China's memorial activities, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
Japan should seriously address issues regarding forced labor during its aggression war, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying urged on Thursday.
Chinese people chose different ways to remember Sept 18, 1931, on Tuesday, the day Japan began its brutal 14-year occupation of parts of China.
Japan must correctly look at China’s move to establish the two memorial and commemorative days and own up to its past, Qu said.
Beijing ratifies Sept 3 as Victory Day in war against Japanese aggresssion and Dec 13 as Memorial Day for victims of Nanjing Massacre.
Two national memorial days are to be marked, according to draft resolutions being reviewed by the top legislature.
Chinese lawmakers are mulling making December 13 a national memorial day to commemorate those killed by Japanese aggressors during the Nanjing Massacre in the 1930s.
China's top legislature is considering designating Sept 3 as the Victory Day of the anti-Japanese War, and Dec 13 as the Nanjing Massacre memorial day.
Tokyo would consider re-examining a 20-year-old study that led to a landmark apology over its forced prostitution in World War II.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instructed President of NHK Katsuto Momii to take more responsibility in his role as the national broadcaster's head.