China calls for ‘sincere apology’ by Japan
China has officially rejected as insufficient an expression of “deep remorse” by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about his country’s World War II aggression, saying Tokyo should make a “sincere apology.”
In a statement posted on the website of China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday, Beijing reacted with skepticism to a morning speech by Abe, in which the Japanese premier repeated Tokyo’s previous expression of grief.
During the speech, which marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the war and Japan’s surrender, Abe stopped short of offering a widely-anticipated apology, saying the country’s future generations should not have to keep asking for forgiveness over what their ancestors did to Asian countries during the war.
Abe also admitted that Japan inflicted “immeasurable damage and suffering” on innocent people in World War II, but he did not offer any apology.
“On the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, I bow my head deeply before the souls of all those who perished both at home and abroad,” Abe said in a 25-minute address delivered live on Japanese state television.
“History is harsh… What is done cannot be undone,” he said.
The Friday statement by China said Japan’s aggression during the war brought about “grave disaster” to China and Asia, saying that Tokyo should try to “correctly understand that period of history” in order to defend the fundamentals of justice.
The statement also said China has consistently advocated the principle of “learning from history and facing the future,” adding that Japan should take concrete actions to win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community.
The Chinese official agency Xinhua called Abe’s statement a diluted apology at best, and “a crippled start to build trust among its neighbors.”
Xinhua said Abe used “linguistic tricks, attempting to please his right-wing base on the one hand and avoid further damage in Japan’s ties with its neighbors on the other.”
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