Such blatant denials by Japanese leaders of Japan's gory past do not hold water in the face of overwhelming evidence against the Japanese perpetrators. And we wait to see how the Abe administration reacts to the latest disclosures.

The newly sorted documents also show tensions between China and Japan have escalated not only because of the territorial dispute, but also because of Japan's denial of its wartime past. This means that the Sino-Japanese tension cannot be resolved if Japan keeps on refusing to own up to its war crimes.

The efforts made by righteous Japanese politicians to atone for the Imperial Japanese Army's atrocities are appreciated. For instance, the "Murayama Statement" by former Japanese prime minister Tomiichi Murayama in 1995 acknowledged that "Japan caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations". But the Abe administration, instead of following the line of Murayama, has made numerous attempts to whitewash those crimes and change the international opinion on Japan's militarist past.

China has no intention of seeking revenge on Japan for the death and suffering of millions of Chinese before and during World War II. It only wants Japan to own up to its militarist past and repent its past crimes. But Japan has been doing just the opposite by taking provocative actions, including beefing up its military, which should be a warning not only for its neighbors, but also for the international community.

The new evidence, along with those that have been piling up over the years, should be used by the international community, including the United States, to drive sense into Japan and prevent it from embarking on another expansionist policy. China and other victim countries of Japanese aggression condemn Japan's attempts to distort history, and they will keep urging Tokyo to ensure that Japan does not revert to its shameful militarist past, because the atrocities will no longer be tolerated.

The author is a reporter of China Daily. cuishoufeng@chinadaily.com.cn.