China's top diplomat urges Japan to learn from its warring past

Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday called on Japan to confront its wartime past, warning that only by facing history can the country avoid repeating past mistakes.

Speaking at a joint news conference after the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Wang reiterated China's stance on historical issues, as Friday marks the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

Eight decades ago, Japan was defeated, accepted the Potsdam Proclamation, and announced its unconditional surrender, Wang said.

Yet today, certain forces in Japan still attempt to whitewash, deny, distort, and even rewrite history, glorifying war criminals—a disgraceful act which Wang said only brings shame upon themselves.

He condemned such actions as a challenge to the United Nations Charter, the post-war international order, human conscience, and all the victorious nations and their people.

"Only by facing history can Japan earn respect; only by drawing lessons from the past can it forge a future; and only by remembering history can Japan avoid straying onto the wrong path again," Wang stressed.