Forgetting history means betraying: spokeswoman

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Monday strongly rebutted her Japanese counterpart's suggestion that China focused too much on a certain period of the two countries' history.

Japan's foreign minister Fumio Kishida reportedly said on Sunday that the China-Japan relationship has a history of 2000 years, and the practice of making too much fuss about one period of history is questionable.

His remarks came after Japanese hotel operator APA Group came under fire from China and the Republic of Korea, for putting books that deny the Nanjing Massacre and the use of "comfort women" during the World War II, in its rooms.

"Forgetting history means betraying it, and denying responsibility for a crime means recommitting it," Hua told a daily press conference in Beijing.

The more an increasing anxiousness small group of people in Japan try to ignore their historical crimes, the more likely it is to cultivate new ground for the far right to flourish, she suggested.

"These people's retro-action has already evoked strong indignation among the Chinese people," she said.

According to Hua, the Japanese government should not shirk its responsibility by using the excuse of so-called freedom of speech. Neither should it mislead the Japanese people by saying there's "too much focus on a certain period of history".

"We urge the Japanese to realize the seriousness of the problem, shoulder its responsibility in earnest, and properly handle related issues, to avoid new disturbances in the China-Japan relationship," she added.