China is urging Japan to repent in concrete terms after Shinzo Abe downplays his country's aggression in long-awaited WWII statement.
After flying his kite for months, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a statement about Japanese aggression in World War II with phrases that had rarely appeared in his narratives of his country's war history.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had the opportunity to continue along the same path as his predecessor, Tomiichi Murayama, and apologize for Japan's past aggression.
China on Friday responded to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's statement marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II by asking Japan to sincerely apologize for its aggressive past.
A Japanese World War II war criminal helped harvest brains from live Chinese captives for a sergeant who believed eating them would treat his venereal disease, according to a confession published by the State Archives Administration on Friday.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's statement to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII may mention Japan's wartime crimes, which Italian experts wish will be a clear apology and become a touchstone for future relations with neighbors China and South Korea.
Whatever Abe says on Friday, he is a leader with a distorted view of history and an expanding military, which is a dangerous combination.
By breaking up with its militarist past can Japan improve relations with its Asian neighbors and boost its national image, says expert.
A Japanese war criminal confessed to being part of a group that killed dozens of Chinese civilians and raped several women during Japan's war of aggression against China, according to the State Archives Administration on Thursday.
Admittedly, we should never let down our guard given Japan's attempt to relive the militarist past, though we do not have to overstate the possibility of its remilitarization either.
China's contribution to the overall Allied victory during World War II is a topic that is gaining increasing historical attention in the West.
Abe's apology, if he does render one, will be of great historical significance to all countries that suffered Japanese aggression.