Japanese war criminal confesses to 'Manchukuo' plan: archive

Rokusashi Takebe, a Japanese war criminal, confessed he had implemented the industrial development of the "Manchukuo" during Japan's aggression war against China, according to archives.

The confession, published on Sunday, is the latest in a series published on the website of China's State Archives Administration (SAA).

According to his written confession, Rokusashi Takebe born in 1893 served as chief of general affairs of the "Manchukuo," a puppet state in Northeast China and Inner Mongolia.

"It was impossible for the Manchukuo to implement this plan by itself, and it must largely rely on Japan's aid. So this plan was made after full consultation with the Japanese government and army headquarters," he said in the confession.

"The first 5-year industrial development plan of the Manchukuo was completed in 1937 and was amended in 1939 to enlarge its scales," he said. "This was decided after discussion with the Japanese government and army headquarters."

The second industrial development plan was made in 1942 during Rokusashi Takebe's term of chief of general affairs, he said, adding the key figures in its formulation were Furumi Tadayuki and Aoki Minoru.

This is the 18th confession among a total of 45 Japanese war criminal confessions the SAA plans to publish. The SAA has been issuing one a day since July 3.

The move follows denials of war crimes by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Japanese right-wing politicians.