CHINA / DIPLOMACY
Word games cannot whitewash Japan’s actual action of military expansion, says Chinese FM on Japan Ministry of Defense’s remarks on China
Published: Jun 03, 2026 04:16 PM
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning


Numbers do not lie, and word games cannot whitewash Japan's actual action to strengthen its military and expand its armed forces. The more Japan tries to cover it up, the more the international community should stay vigilant, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday. 

The remarks were made when asked to comment on that  after China on June 1 criticized Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi's remarks concerning China, a spokesperson for Japan's Ministry of Defense responded at a press conference on June 2, claiming that China had repeatedly made claims that are inconsistent with facts. 

Mao said that Japan's so-called "facts," which evade the essential issues and amount to self-deception, are nothing but a disguise for its "remilitarization." Japan avoids mentioning its crimes of militarist aggression and expansion, as well as the international legal obligations it bears. It has never truly reflected on history. 

Instead, it packages overseas troop deployments under the banner of "collective self-defense," whitewashes the strengthening of offensive capabilities as "developing counterstrike capabilities," and conceals the export of lethal weapons under the name of "equipment and technology cooperation," attempting to deceive the Japanese public and the international community through concept substitution, said Mao. 

Global Times