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Jiang criticises

Japanese remarks

on war

TOKYO: Chinese President Jiang Zemin has criticised Japanese justifications of its World War II record, saying its historical view was a "grave problem," the Sankei Shimbun said on Sunday.

The Chinese president made remarks last Tuesday in Beijing during a meeting with Masajuro Shiokawa, a senior official of Japan's ruling coalition, the newspaper said, quoting government and foreign ministry sources.

"Wrong recognition of history is a grave problem," Jiang was quoted as telling Shiokawa, who is also a leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the largest force in the coalition, the daily said.

"The attitude taken by Germany towards the lesson from the war has been relatively good," Jiang said. "In Japan, meanwhile, whenever a cabinet is formed, at least one minister has (expressed) a militaristic opinion."

"I used to live in an area occupied by Japan, I can't forget about the years," Jiang was quoted as saying.

In recent years, several LDP ministers have been forced to resign for-controversial remarks related to Japanese history.

The most recent resignation came late last year after an LDP cabinet members' remarks on the positive aspects of Japan's 35-year occupation of the Korean peninsula triggered a storm of protest in South Korea.

Jiang, meanwhile, hinted that Beijing would maintain its current military strength, brushing aside concerns of neighbouring countries over China's expanding defense forces.

"Japan's defense budget has reached 50 billion yen, but ours is only 7.1 billion dollars," he said. "How can you say this is a threat? China is a large country and we have to maintain it not to be ill-treated by others."

Referring to China's military drills during Taiwan's presidential campaign in March, Jiang said: "The exercises were a display of our strength."

"I don't know why (US) air craft carriers came to see our military exercises, which were carried out within our territory," he said, adding that the United States should keep its promise not to support Taiwanese independence.-APP/AFP