Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should face up to history and stop hurting the feelings of people in countries that Japan invaded in World War II, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman urged on Monday.
Hua Chunying made the comments at a daily news briefing in response to a question regarding Abe's words on history.
"Every country has pride in its history so what is important is to have mutual respect," Abe told a television show on Sunday.
"We are shocked at what the Japanese leader has said," Hua said, adding that it was 76 years ago to the day (July 7, 1937) that Japan launched an all-out war against China, known as the Lugouqiao Incident.
It is undeniable that Japan's invasion into and colonial ruling of its neighboring countries in Asia imposed great pain and disaster on the people there, Hua said.
What Japan should do is not "take pride in" but look up to and carry out self-questioning about the history of the invasion, she said, adding that the Japanese side should stop using history as a tool to hurt the feelings of Asian people.
Source: Xinhua
