Japan's Deputy Prime Minister has retracted his recent comments made in connection with Japan and Nazi Germany.

 

　　CRI's Su Yi has more.

 

　　Reporter:

 

　　Taro Aso issued the statement, after suggesting this week that the current government of Japan could take lessons from how the Nazis circumvented the constitution of the-then Weimar Republic to establish an offensive military establishment.

 

　　"I would like to retract my analogy of the Nazi government. I feel it is very unfortunate and regrettable that my comments related to the Nazi government are different from my true intentions and have led to misunderstanding."

 

　　His comments have come amid expected plans by the current Japanese government to try to amend the country's pacifist constitution to create an offensive military.

 

　　The Chinese government says Taro's Nazi remarks are alarming.

 

　　The South Korean government says the remarks hurt people.

 

　　In reaction to the criticism, the Japanese government has also weighed in.

 

　　Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga:

 

　　"I would like to make it clear that the Abe administration in no way looks positively at the Nazi government. After the World War II, our nation has consistently built up a society which thoroughly advocates peace and human rights, and has contributed to the international community. This direction will remain unchanged, going forward."

 

　　Also as part of the speech, Aso says it is natural to visit the Yasukuni shrine to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the country.

 

　　The shrine in Tokyo which is dedicated to honoring Japan's war dead, also enshrines 14 convicted Class-A war criminals.

 

　　Visits to the shrine by Japanese politicians are widely seen as an insult to countries in the region which were invaded by Japan during its years of military expansion.

 

　　Amid the recent remarks made by Japanese politicians, the Chinese government has issued a new statement, calling on the Japanese side to make more "substantial efforts" to improve the relations.

 

　　Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying says "it will not help to solve the problem with only empty slogans calling for a dialogue".

 

　　The Japanese side has repeatedly called for high-level talks with China without any conditions.

 

　　Hua Chunying says a high-level dialogue can come only after adequate preparations.

 

　　She says these have now been hindered by the Japanese side's attitude toward territorial disputes in the region and the country's history.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Su Yi.