Japan's plan to submit a bill to the Diet (Japanese parliament) this year, restoring pre-World War II military ranks, signals rising militarism and threatens global peace and stability, China said on Thursday.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a routine press briefing in Beijing in response to a question about Japan's upcoming changes to Self-Defense Forces rank titles. Some of the rank titles would revert to those used by the former Imperial Japanese Army before and during World War II.

Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry

"Japan's security policies have increasingly taken on an offensive, expansionist and risky orientation, undermining its claim of being a peaceful country," he said. "Japan's latest move to reinstate WWII military ranks out of 'a sense of honor' is a breach of long-existing rules and will instill a wrong perception."

Such moves also hurt the feelings of people in countries that suffered from Japan's wartime aggression, the ministry spokesperson said.

"We can't help but ask: Is Japan still obsessed with reliving its militarist past?" Lin said. "What exactly does this so-called 'sense of honor' refer to?"

Japanese neo-militarism is becoming a serious concern and posed "a real threat to global peace and stability," he said.

"The international forces of justice, including the Chinese people, should remain highly vigilant and firmly safeguard the outcomes of World War II," Lin said. "History must not be allowed to repeat itself."