A senior Nanjing official says the city's official ties with the Japanese city of Nagoya will not resume until an apology is issued for the denial of the Nanjing Massacre.

The move comes after Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura dismissed the deaths of 300,000 Chinese people as something that "probably never happened" while meeting with a delegation from Nanjing on Feb 20.

Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura. [File photo/cnwest.com]

"The denial has deeply hurt the feelings of Nanjing people and Kawamura should take full responsibility for the situation," said Chen Jiabao, deputy of the National People's Congress (NPC), and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Nanjing City People's Congress.

Chen noted that Nanjing is still willing to conduct mutual exchanges and cooperation with Japanese people from all walks of life, including people from Nagoya, who recognize the principle of taking history as a mirror and looking forward to the future.

"In the meantime, we hope some people in Japan take a proper attitude to historical issues and do some good deeds favorable to the peoples of Japan and China," added Chen.

The denial led to fierce backlash from the Chinese public, prompting Nanjing to suspend official exchanges with Nagoya.