Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian at the press conference on March 24, 2026

Playing word games in textbook screening to obscure historical facts and downplay or evade responsibility for historical crimes is a common trick of the Japanese side to deny and distort its own history of aggression. China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this, and has made solemn representations to the Japanese side, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday when asked for comments on media reports the Japanese education ministry approved a series of textbooks which strengthened narratives suggesting there was no coercion involved in wartime forced labor or the sexual slavery of "comfort women" and reinforce the assertion that the Diaoyu Dao are Japan's "inherent territory."

Since the end of World War II, Japan has never made a clean break with militarism, and the notorious Yasukuni Shrine still enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals to this day. The forced recruitment of "comfort women" and the forced labor of workers are serious crimes against humanity committed by Japanese militarism during its period of external aggression and expansion. These are historical facts recognized by the international community, backed by ironclad evidence, and not subject to alteration, Lin said.

"I want to stress that the Diaoyu Dao and their affiliated islets have been an inherent territory of China since ancient times, and China has indisputable sovereignty over them. No matter what actions Japan takes regarding textbooks, it will not change the fact that the Diaoyu Dao belong to China. Any words or actions that seek to undermine China's territorial sovereignty are futile," Lin stressed.

In addition, China has noted that the South Korea has also made solemn representations and expressed strong protests over Japan's textbook issue, including its content related to Dokdo and "comfort women. 

This reflects that the actions of the extreme right-wing forces in Japan to tamper with history and mislead the Japanese public's understanding of history have drawn high vigilance and strong indignation from the international community, including Asian neighbors. We solemnly urge the Japanese side to face up to and reflect on its history of aggression, draw a clear line with militarism, let the younger generation in Japan understand the true historical facts, and properly address historical issues in a responsible manner, so as to avoid further losing credibility with its Asian neighbors and the international community, Lin said.

Global Times