China publicizes confessions by Japanese war criminals

A reporter views a poster board before a press conference in Beijing, capital of China, July 3, 2014. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

Confessions made by 45 Japanese war criminals tried and convicted by military tribunals in China after World War II (WWII) were published online on Thursday.

Handwritten confessions, along with Chinese translations and abstracts in both Chinese and English, have been published on the website of the State Archives Administration, said the administration's deputy director Li Minghua at a press conference on Thursday.

"These archives are hard evidence of the heinous crimes committed by Japanese imperialism against the Chinese," Li said.

"Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, disregarding historical justice and human conscience, has been openly talking black into white, misleading the public, and beautifying Japanese aggression and its colonial history since he took office," Li told reporters.

"This challenges WWII achievements and the post-WWII international order.

"The administration has made them available online before the 77th anniversary of the July 7 incident to remember history, take history as a mirror, cherish peace... and prevent the replay of such a historical tragedy," Li added.

The July 7 incident, or the Lugouqiao Incident, in 1937 marked the beginning of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, which lasted eight years.