China on Friday urged Japan to honor its obligations as a defeated nation of World War II, respect the post-war international order, and refrain from actions that could undermine peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks during a press briefing, responding to Japan’s recent approval of a higher defense budget and its talks with the Philippines on exporting Japanese missiles.

Jiang criticized Japan for repeatedly violating its pacifist Constitution, significantly increasing its military spending, promoting the export of lethal weapons, and seeking to revise its three non-nuclear principles in recent years. He warned that Japan’s accelerated loosening of military restrictions signals a potential resurgence of militarism.

He also condemned Japan for its slow handling of chemical weapons left in China during its wartime aggression. During its invasion of China, Japanese forces used large quantities of chemical weapons, causing over 200,000 military and civilian casualties. After Japan’s defeat, many chemical weapons were abandoned on Chinese soil, resulting in more than 2,000 additional victims and ongoing environmental hazards.

China has called on Japan to accelerate the disposal of these weapons, provide timely information about them, assist in identification efforts, and take responsibility for remediation of contaminated water and soil.

Jiang stressed that Japan must fully acknowledge its historical responsibilities and take concrete measures to address past wartime actions and their continuing impact on China.