Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian

"We urge Japan to deeply reflect on its history of aggression, heed the voices of its domestic populace for peace and opposition to war, adhere to the path of peaceful development, and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated on Wednesday, in response to a question from a journalist with Sky News of the UK regarding Japanese media reports that Sanae Takaichi, Japanese Prime Minister and President of the Liberal Democratic Party, explicitly expressed her intention to revise the constitution to enshrine the Self-Defense Forces in its provisions on Monday. 

Lin stated, we have noted the relevant reports. During World War II, Japanese militarism brought profound disasters to the region and the world. Documents with international legal effect, including the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, clearly defined Japan's international obligations as a defeated nation. These also serve as the political and legal prerequisites for Japan's reintegration into the international community. It is precisely for this reason that Japan's constitutional revision issue has consistently attracted high attention from the international community and its Asian neighbors, Lin said.

Global Times