A handful of Japanese right-wing activists staged an anti-China gathering in Osaka on January 23, denying that the Nanjing Massacre ever took place.

Prior to this, a Japanese Supreme Court ruling once again rejected the statement of a former Japanese soldier, Azuma Shiro, who openly confessed to atrocities committed by Japanese aggressors during the Nanjing Massacre, which was tantamount to encouraging right-wing activists in Japan to deny the massacre.

The gathering and the court ruling have seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and disturbed the development of the Sino-Japanese relations in the normal course. The Chinese government and people hereby express their extreme indignation and strong condemnation. The Japanese government and Osaka authorities have taken a laissez-faire attitude toward this sensitive issue, totally disregarding the serious representations repeatedly made by the Chinese side. The Japanese government and Osaka authorities must be held responsible for the current situation.

Historical issues have always remained the major problems, which disturb and impact the normal development of the Sino-Japanese relations. Today, after more than half a century, there often emerges an adverse current in Japan, openly calling back and defending militarism, denying historical facts and going against people's common knowledge. This fact cannot but invite deep thought and call on the Chinese people and the people of the whole world at large to maintain sharp vigilance. How to treat the history of Japanese militarists indulging in wanton massacre or persecution during their aggression of China is the political foundation and a touchstone for judging whether the Japanese government has the sincerity to safeguard Sino-Japanese ties. The Japanese government is responsible for and obliged to fulfill its commitment, and must be true in words and resolute in deeds. China demands that the Japanese government take immediate measures to check the domestic adverse current of denying the history of aggression, avert the very bad effect of this gathering, and be effectively responsible to ensure that such incident never occurs in the future again.