Editor's Note: As 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, CGTN presents "Forging a Peaceful Future," a special series of in-depth news analyses. These stories delve into the history, explore the post-war world order, and highlight how China's past has shaped its sustained contributions to global peace today.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931–1945) and the World Anti-Fascist War. At this historical juncture, attention has been drawn to how Japan faces and reflects upon its wartime past to build a healthy China-Japan relationship.

On August 15, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the Japanese government to face up to wartime history. He stressed that Japan must draw lessons from history in order to gain respect and avoid repeating mistakes, criticizing some forces in Japan for continuing to glorify aggression and distort historical facts.

Japan's invasion brought catastrophe to China

Japan's invasion of China began in 1931 with the September 18 Incident in Shenyang, a staged pretext for occupying northeast China. Following years of regional conflict, the Lugou Bridge Incident in July 1937 marked the start of a full-scale war of aggression. Japanese troops soon seized Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing, committing atrocities including the Nanjing Massacre.

Between 1931 and 1945, China suffered more than 35 million military and civilian casualties – the heaviest toll among allied nations in World War II. Over half of China's territory was ravaged, more than 930 cities were occupied, and 42 million people were displaced. Concurrently with the savagery of the battlefield, war crimes were perpetrated on non-combatants, such as biological experiments by Unit 731, systematic sexual slavery and indiscriminate bombing of civilians.

The Nanjing Massacre remains one of the darkest chapters in modern history. After capturing the city in December 1937, Japanese troops killed an estimated 300,000 people in six weeks of mass slaughter, rape and looting. In 1948, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East sentenced key Japanese officers responsible for the massacre to death.

Japan downplays historical accountability

Despite the devastation caused, some Japanese political forces have long sought to whitewash or deny the nation's wartime crimes. This has strained Japan's relations with its neighbors, including China.

Marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II last week, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed "remorse" and pledged never to take the path to war again, becoming the first Japanese leader since 2012 to use the term at the annual ceremony. However, domestic media noted that his remarks avoided explicitly acknowledging the suffering inflicted on Asian countries.

Controversy also persists around visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, where  more than 1,000 convicted war criminals are enshrined among over 2.4 million war dead. On August 15, Japanese Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, also the son of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, and Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato visited the shrine. Junichiro Koizumi made six visits to the shrine when he was in office, which plunged China-Japan relations to their lowest point.

Meanwhile, far-right voices in Japan have grown louder in recent years, denying or downplaying wartime atrocities and rejecting repeated apologies as unnecessary. Such views have sparked strong opposition from China, South Korea and other Asian nations that suffered from Japan's invasion and colonial rule.

Calls for facing history to rebuild trust

Atsushi Koketsu, a Japanese professor emeritus from Yamaguchi University and a historian specializing in modern Japanese political and military history, noted in a recent interview that frequent denial of Japan's wartime aggression by politicians, along with visits to Yasukuni Shrine, have deepened mistrust in Asia.

He advocated for Japan to confront its history and take moral responsibility for its actions, rather than focusing solely on its suffering from the war. He also warned that Japan's strengthening of its military alliance with the United States and increasing defense spending suggest a concerning trend toward remilitarization.

"I believe that promoting friendship with China is Japan's greatest security guarantee," said Koketsu, adding, "As close neighbors, China and Japan must coexist peacefully for the sake of Asia's peace and prosperity."

During Wang Yi's meeting with his Japanese counterpart in Beijing last year, he said remembering history is about learning lessons and cherishing hard-won peace. He expressed the hope that Japan would demonstrate its commitment to peaceful development and, together with China, advance bilateral relations healthily and stably.

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