Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun

The Japanese authorities should earnestly abide by the international obligations affirmed in Japanese Instrument of Surrender, face up to history, draw lessons from the past, make a clean break with militarism, and take concrete actions to win the trust of Asian neighbors and the international community, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told the Global Times on Wednesday in response to a question about China’s position over some views on Japan’s refusal to recognize “Enemy State Clauses,” an important provision of the UN Charter.

September 2 is the 81st anniversary of Japan’s formal signing of Japanese Instrument of Surrender, which marked the final victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. On September 2, 1945, the Japanese government formally signed Japanese Instrument of Surrender, accepting all the terms of the Potsdam Proclamation and confirming the historical characterization of Japan’s militarist aggression.

The “Enemy State Clauses” remains in the UN Charter to this day, and the relevant provisions, including Articles 53, 77 and 107, remain valid, Guo said.
He noted that the clauses constitute a special institutional arrangement concerning the countries defeated in WWII, aimed at preventing them from again posing a threat to international peace and security and providing important institutional safeguards for upholding the postwar international order.

Japan joined the UN after acknowledging the crimes of militarism and accepting the UN Charter in its entirety. Today however, Guo said, the Japanese authorities have not only avoided addressing the country’s historical culpability, but have also paid homage to WWII Class A war criminals, distorted and whitewashed its crimes of aggression, accelerated its pursuit of “remilitarization,” and sought to revise its pacifist Constitution. 

Japan has also antagonized almost all of its neighboring countries, openly interfered in the internal affairs of other countries and even issued threats of the use of force, Guo added.

The gray rhino of “neo-militarism” in Japan is charging toward the region, once again posing a threat to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific, Guo said, stressing that against such a backdrop, it is necessary to fully uphold the UN Charter and reaffirm the “Enemy State Clauses.”

Global Times