China urges Japan to seriously reflect on and correct wrongdoings

China urges Japanese authorities to seriously reflect on and correct their wrongdoings, and take concrete actions to return to the purpose and mission of the four political documents between China and Japan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday.

Noting that Tuesday marks the 54th anniversary of the issuance of the China-Japan Joint Statement, Guo said 54 years ago, the older generation of Chinese and Japanese leaders, with extraordinary political vision and courage, signed and issued the statement, which marked the normalization of relations between the two countries.

In the joint statement, Japan explicitly noted that it is "keenly conscious of" and "deeply reproaches itself" over its responsibility for war and that it "recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China," he noted, adding that the statement also notes that the Government of Japan "fully understands and respects" the position of the Chinese government that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People's Republic of China.

The four political documents between China and Japan, including the joint statement, laid the political and legal foundation for bilateral relations, and established the rules for properly settling major issues of principle, including history and Taiwan, he said.

"There should be no distortion or regression, still less sabotage, regarding these principles," said Guo.

Today, more than half a century later, China-Japan relations once again face a severe situation, he said, stressing that the root cause is that the political foundation of the bilateral relations has been gravely undermined.

The incumbent leader of Japan not only refuses to reflect on the history of aggression, but also claims that a contingency in Taiwan will constitute a "survival threatening" situation for Japan, he said, adding that this is a blatant challenge to China's state sovereignty and against the aspiration demonstrated by the normalization of China-Japan relations and the political commitments Japan made to China.

Meanwhile, Japan keeps peddling the so-called "external threat" narrative, using it as a pretext to speed up remilitarization. "The move poses a challenge to the post-war international order and threatens regional peace and stability," the spokesperson said.

History has repeatedly shown that only by staying true to the spirit of the four political documents can China and Japan keep the relationship on the right course, Guo stated.

Just as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted in the meeting with Takeshi Iwaya, head of the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade, the pressing priority for Japan is to correct Japanese leader's erroneous words and deeds on the Taiwan question, and Japan should adopt a correct attitude on historical issues, and form an objective and rational perception on China, said Guo.