LIN: TOKYO SHOULD LEARN LESSONS FROM THE PAST AND ABANDON REMILITARISATION

BEIJING, AUGUST 7 /SRNA/ - China has urged Japan to take the international community's concerns seriously, fulfil its nuclear non-proliferation obligations in accordance with international law, confront its history with sincerity, and abandon the path of remilitarisation, the China Media Group reported.

On the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said that the tragedies caused by the use of nuclear weapons must never be repeated. He also stressed that the historical context of those events must not be forgotten, including the consequences of Japan's aggression and the expansion of Japanese militarism during the Second World War. According to Lin, certain right-wing forces in Japan have long sought to distort historical facts by using the country's status as a victim of a nuclear attack to elicit international sympathy, while downplaying the scale of Japan's wartime aggression, which claimed the lives of tens of millions of people in neighbouring countries. Lin said yesterday that Japan is simultaneously strengthening its military capabilities, seeking additional nuclear protection from the United States, and considering changes to its non-nuclear policy principles. He added that some Japanese officials have openly spoken about the possibility of developing the country's own nuclear capability. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the start of the Tokyo War Crimes Trials after the Second World War, Lin said that "the judgment of history is not yet complete" and called on Japan to meet the expectations of the international community, fulfil its obligations in the field of nuclear arms control, and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Responding to a question about the strengthening of Japan's military presence on Pacific islands, including the deployment of anti-ship missile systems on Minamitorishima Island, Lin said that this was another indication of Japan's accelerated remilitarisation. He stated that Japan committed numerous crimes during the Second World War and inflicted great suffering on its Asian neighbours and the international community. Lin said that today's Japan should learn lessons from the past, rather than, as he put it, create narratives about external threats in order to justify the strengthening of its military capabilities.