China urges Japan to teach people correctly about its wartime atrocities

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Beijing urged Tokyo on Tuesday to acknowledge and reflect upon history and educate its people with the right historical perspective, after reports about a Japanese hotel chain providing books that deny the Nanjing Massacre and the forced recruitment of “comfort women” sparked outrage on social media in China.

“We have noticed relevant reports, and this once again shows that some forces in Japan are still reluctant to look squarely at history and even try to deny and distort history,” said Hua Chunying, spokesperson of Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying answers questions during a news briefing in Beijing on January 17, 2017. /MOFA Photo

The forced recruitment of “comfort women” and the Nanjing Massacre are heinous crimes against humanity committed by the Japanese militarism during World War Two, and the historical fact is supported by iron-clad evidence and has been recognized by the international community, Hua noted.

The hotel chain operator, APA Group, has placed a copy of the book “Theoretical Modern History II - The Real History of Japan” in every room of its hotels across Japan. Copies of the book are also on sale in the hotels' lobbies.

The issue was brought up to light after a 10-minute video was posted on Sina Weibo by user "KatAndSid” on Sunday showing excerpts of the book, which is written in Japanese and English. The video has so far been shared 687,248 with 33,206 comments.

The book erroneously claims that the Nanjing Massacre and the "comfort women" in China and South Korea are “untruths”.

A screenshot of the video showing the controversial book. /Internet Photo

The book is reportedly written by Toshio Motoya, the founder of APA Group, under the pen name “Seiji Fuji.”

Motoya, who is born in 1943, is a staunch supporter of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He encourages right-wing political causes in Japan, and views the country's involvement in the World War Two in a generally positive light.

APA Group said in a statement issued on Tuesday that it is not planning to remove the books from the hotel rooms just because of criticism from people with different views.

“History will not change by the passing of time, and facts will not vanish because some people choose to turn a blind eye to them. Only by honestly facing up to the history can one truly have a future,” Hua said.

She urged the Japanese side to earnestly face up and reflect upon its history, educate its people with the right historical perspective, and win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community with concrete actions.

Hua Wang International Co., Ltd., a Chinese tourism company based in Japan, announced on Monday it is terminating its business with APA Group.

Booking rooms at APA hotels was also suspended from multiple Chinese online portals, such as Ctrip, Qunar, Feizhu, and Tuniu.