China: Urges Japanese politicians to listen to and pay attention to domestic voices of justice

China News Service, Beijing, October 12 (Reporters Huang Yuqin and Li Jingze) Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning hosted a regular press conference on the 12th.

A reporter asked: Recently, former Japanese Foreign Minister and President of the Association for the Promotion of International Trade Takeshi Iwaya said after his visit to China that the cause of the deterioration of Japan-China relations lies with Japan and the Japanese government should try to improve it. There are also voices in Japan criticizing the evasion of historical responsibilities that have led Japan's China policy astray, and calling on the Japanese government to face up to and solve the problem. What is China’s comment on this?

Mao Ning: These statements reflect the rationality and conscience of knowledgeable people in Japan, and China evaluates them positively. As they said, the root and essence of the problem lies in the serious deviations and fallacies in the Japanese rulers' views of history and China, which seriously undermine the political foundation of China-Japan relations. This situation is not in the interests of both parties, and the responsibility lies entirely with Japan. To bring China-Japan relations back on track, the ball is certainly on Japan's side.

We urge the Japanese authorities to listen to and pay attention to domestic voices of justice, face up to the root of the problem, abide by the four political documents between China and Japan, and earnestly reflect on and correct mistakes on issues such as Taiwan, history, and perceptions of China.