Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian made the statement during a press briefing in Yokohama, commenting on an exhibition about chemical weapons used by the Japanese Army during the war.

Lin noted that Japanese militarism developed and used chemical weapons on a large scale in China and other Asian countries, in blatant violation of international law.

The spokesperson noted that Japanese forces used chemical weapons more than 2,000 times there, causing more than 200,000 casualties among Chinese military personnel and civilians.

The official added that following Japan’s defeat, Japanese authorities abandoned large quantities of chemical weapons on Chinese soil, the impact of which has caused more than 2,000 casualties to date and poses a threat to public safety and the environment.

Lin called on Tokyo to fully and faithfully comply with the international convention and the memorandum signed between the governments of the two nations, speed up the destruction of abandoned chemical weapons (ACWs), and return to the Chinese people a territory free of this threat as soon as possible.

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