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BEIJING

Ministry rebukes massacre remarks

China expressed its strong indignation over the Japanese defense minister's remarks on the Nanjing Massacre on Friday, urging Japan to face up to history and not challenge the world order. In an interview on Thursday, Tomomi Inada, who was appointed defense minister on Wednesday, denied the existence of a killing competition during the tragedy that killed an estimated 300,000 people. The defense minister was simply trying to whitewash Japan's history of aggression and recall the spirit of militarism, the ministry said.