Ministry Minutes | China urges Japan to heed voices of justice at home: foreign ministry

China said on Monday that Japan's leaders should heed voices of justice at home and genuinely reflect on and correct wrongdoings on issues concerning Taiwan island, history and their China perception.

Photo: CCTV

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to a question about recent remarks by Takeshi Iwaya, a former Japanese foreign minister and president of the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade, who reportedly said following a visit to China that Japan was responsible for the deterioration in bilateral ties and should seek to improve them.

Mao said that these statements reflect the reasoning and conscience of visionary people in Japan. The root of the problem lies in serious distortions and flaws in Japanese leaders' views of history and China, which have severely undermined the political foundation of bilateral relations, she said.

The current situation serves neither side's interests, and the responsibility rests entirely with Japan, Mao added.

She urged Japan's leaders to listen to and take seriously these domestic voices, address the root causes of the problem, abide by the four political documents between China and Japan, and reflect on and correct their mistakes concerning Taiwan region, history and their perception of China.

(Compiled by intern Heng Shimin and edited by Wang Ruofan)