China accused Japan's defense minister on Monday of spreading baseless claims and sowing confusion, urging the international community to stay on high alert to prevent and suppress the rise of Japanese neomilitarism.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian made the statement at a daily news briefing in Beijing, after Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi recently pledged to keep strengthening the military and rejected Japan being labeled a neomilitarist country at a Singapore forum.
Lin said Koizumi's remarks were totally groundless given historical facts, legal grounds and figures on the matter, adding that such a stance makes it impossible for Japan to earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community.
Japanese militarists committed horrendous crimes in World War II and inflicted untold suffering to its Asian neighbors and Allied nations, Lin said.
To prevent the revival of Japanese militarism, a series of instruments with legal effect under international law — including the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation — clearly require Japan to be "completely disarmed" and not to maintain such industries as "would enable her to re-arm for war", he said.
