China Says Japan Must Reflect on History After Sex Slave Comment

China’s ruling Communist Party, in its official newspaper, called on Japan to not “play tricks” with history after comments by a Japanese official cast doubt on whether newly elected Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would uphold a 1993 apology to women forced into sex slavery in World War II.

Any “muddling or distortion” of Japan’s wartime atrocities will hurt the victims of its past militarism and give Asian nations reason to be highly wary of the new government, a commentary published in today’s People’s Daily newspaper said. The article’s author was identified as Zhong Sheng, whose name sounds in Chinese like “voice of China” and for whom no personal details were given.