Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning

In response to former Japanese foreign minister and Chair of the Association for the Promotion of International Trade Takeshi Iwaya's remarks following his visit to China that Japan was responsible for the deterioration in China-Japan relations and that the Japanese government should seek ways to improve ties, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the remarks reflected the rationality and conscience of insightful people in Japan and were positively viewed by China. 

When asked to comment on the voices in Japan that criticize the evasion of historical responsibility for leading Japan’s China policy astray and call on the Japanese government to face up to and address the problem, Mao said during a press briefing on Monday that as they pointed out, the root cause and essence of the problem lie in the serious distortions and errors in the Japanese leadership’s view of history and of China, which have severely undermined the political foundation of China-Japan relations. 

Mao said that this situation serves the interests of neither side, and Japan bears full responsibility for it, adding that the onus was on Japan to put bilateral ties back on track. 

We urge Japan’s current leaders to listen to and heed voices of justice at home, face up to the root causes of the problems, abide by the four political documents between China and Japan, and genuinely reflect on and correct their mistakes on issues concerning Taiwan island, history and their understanding of China, Mao added. 

Global Times