US' whitewashing of Japan's aggression and war crimes criticized

A Chinese defense spokesman criticized on Friday the United States' whitewashing of Japan's aggression and war crimes during World War II, saying that the move was a "grave affront to historical justice".

Jiang Bin, the spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to the recent comments by Tammy Bruce, spokeswoman of the US State Department, on Aug 5.

In a news conference, Bruce said that 80 years ago, the US and Japan concluded a devastating war in the Pacific. For 80 years, the US and Japan have stood shoulder to shoulder to safeguard peace and prosperity in the Pacific.

Jiang said that during the WWII, Japanese fascists committed heinous crimes and inflicted untold sufferings on people around the world, including the Americans.

"The US side seems to have amnesia about this history," he said, stressing that whitewashing Japan's aggression and war crimes is a grave affront to historical justice, and hurts the peoples of countries that once suffered from Japanese invasion.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, said Jiang.

"We urge the US side to abandon geopolitical calculations, uphold a correct historical view of WWII, and join the international community in safeguarding the post-WWII international order, so as to strive for a more peaceful future for humanity," the spokesman emphasized.