Japan must own up to militarist past

From this year, Sept 3 will officially mark Chinese people's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945). This should be taken as a message by Japan to reflect on its war atrocities and stop trying to destabilize East Asia.

The geographical proximity between China and Japan has always tied together the history of the two nations. As early as the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618 ) and Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), Japan sent several envoys to study in China. And maritime trade prospered between the two countries until 1635 when the Tokugawa Shogunate adopted a policy of isolationism in Japan.

However, despite once being very close, conflicts - and their legacies - have driven the two countries apart. The most daunting memories, especially for China, are still tied to the two Sino-Japanese Wars of the modern age.