Ministry Minutes | China slams Japanese data poisoning that distorts history of aggression

China on Friday condemned Japanese right-wing forces for distorting the record of Japan's wartime aggression, warning against the misuse of artificial intelligence to whitewash historical crimes.

Photo: Chinese foreign ministry

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a routine press briefing in Beijing when asked about reports that Japanese right-wing forces have continued to supply international large language models with doctored World War II material.

Some models have produced answers reflecting clearly mistaken views of history, the reports said.

For example, they described the July 7th Incident, also known as the Lugou Bridge Incident that marked the start of Japan's full-scale invasion of China, as a "Japan-China military conflict."

They have also downplayed the Nanjing Massacre by referring to it as "the fall of Nanjing." In another example, they portrayed Japan's invasion of Southeast Asia as "concern for resources in the south."

"The crimes of aggression committed by Japanese militarism are backed by irrefutable evidence and must not be denied," Mao said. "Using new technology to poison data is a new tactic employed by Japanese right-wing forces to distort and glorify the history of aggression.

"The aim is to distort global public perceptions of World War II and clear public-opinion obstacles for Japan to shake off the constraints of the postwar order and accelerate its remilitarization."

The technology should be a force for good, not a tool to falsify historical facts or whitewash responsibility for aggression, she said.

"The covert and malicious actions of Japanese right-wing forces seriously hurt the feelings of people in countries that suffered from Japanese aggression and openly trample on human conscience," the ministry spokesperson said. "The international community must remain vigilant and jointly resist such actions."