The Nanjing Massacre was a wartime atrocity committed by the Japanese troops on the Chinese people. It is an irrefutable and widely known atrocity that cannot be denied, said Zhu Bangzao, a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Answering questions at a press conference on the afternoon of January 18, Zhu said that "we are highly concerned about an anti-China rally to beheld by Japan's right-wing forces at the International Peace Center in Osaka which aims to deny the Nanjing Massacre. We have made solemn representations repeatedly to the Japanese side through diplomatic channels."

"Japan's right-wing forces are deliberately tampering with historical facts, whitewashing wartime crimes and hurting the feelings of Chinese people and undermining Sino-Japanese friendly relations in the process," Zhu said, adding that the Chinese government and all Chinese people, including those who lost familyand loved ones during the atrocity, show strong indignation at it.

Historical issues are related with the political basis of the relations between China and Japan, Zhu said. In the Sino-Japanese joint statement and other documents, the Japanese government clearly admits Japan's invasion of China in the history and expresses its deep introspection.

"We pay more attention to Japan's actions than its words," Zhu said. "We hope that the Japanese government highly understand the seriousness and harm of the situation and take immediate and effective measures to prevent further development of the situation, so as to effectively safeguard the overall interest of the hard-won bilateral relations." (Xinhua)