China blasts Japan's pro-military tendencies, nuclear stockpile

China on Wednesday strongly denounced the Japanese government's pro-military tendencies and controversial view on history, and threw doubts on the country's nuclear material stockpile.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last week, Etsuro Honda, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic aide who is also a key architect of Abe Economics, said Japan needed a strong economy so it could build a more powerful military and stand up to China.

When asked to comment on the remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing on Wednesday, "Those words show that Abe Economics is in fact aimed at serving Japan's military expansion, which mirrors the country's pre-war militarism.

"Those voices from Japan have proved the country's so-called active pacifism and willingness to hold dialogue with China as deceptive."

Such statements revealed Japan's "dangerous tendencies" to stand against China, and to change its post-war peaceful development road, she said. Japan, led by its right-wing forces, is on a dangerous direction and is becoming a troublemaker which would harm regional peace and stability, Hua said. Hua also commented a recent report from the United States Congressional Research Service (CRS), which expressed worry over Abe's view on history.

"The CRS report pointed out problems that exist in the Japanese leader's view on history," Hua said.

She criticized Japan's recent moves to deny or whitewash its aggression history. "They are in fact challenging the world's anti-fascism achievements and the post-war order," she said. Hua urged Japanese leaders to listen to the voices of the international community and to regain trust from its neighbors and the world via tangible measures.

DOUBTS ON NUKE STOCKPILE

While commenting on reports that the Japanese government is to hand over its plutonium stockpile to the United States, Hua said China supports the U.S. to demand Japan return those nuclear materials. She urged Japan to return weapons-grade nuclear materials at an early date. Since the nuclear security summit in Washington in 2010, the U.S. government has been pressing Japan to return 331 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium given to the country during the Cold War. The U.S. plans to reach an agreement with Japan before the nuclear security summit in the Netherlands in March. However, it has been reported that a large amount of highly enriched uranium is also in Japan's hand.

"Highly enriched uranium is a problem which could ignite nuclear security and proliferation risks," Hua said, adding that doubts from the international community should be addressed.

"Does Japan have highly enriched or weapons-grade uranium? How much does Japan store?" Hua asked, adding that China urges Japan to take a responsible attitude and explain its answers to the world.