Japan should expedite the disposal of Japanese ACWs: Defense Spokesperson

BEIJING, July 30 – "We once again urge the Japanese side to face squarely its historical and real-world responsibilities, take concrete measures to expedite the disposal process, and return Chinese people a clean land at an early date," said a Chinese defense spokesperson on Thursday. July 30, 2026 marks the 27th anniversary of the signing of the memorandum between the governments of the PRC and Japan on the destruction of Japanese Abandoned Chemical Weapons (Japanese ACWs) in China. The Chinese side has requested the Japanese side to speed up the disposal of Japanese ACWs on multiple occasions. In response to the above issue, Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), first pointed out that abandoning chemical weapons in China is one of the heinous crimes committed by Japanese militarists during their war of aggression against China. To completely destroy all the Japanese ACWs at an early date is a historical, political and legal responsibility of Japan that is unshirkable. It is also an international obligation under the Chemical Weapons Convention. The spokesperson then emphasized that according to the provisions of the Convention and the memorandum between the Chinese and Japanese governments, Japan is required to complete the destruction of all ACWs in China by 2007. However, the Japanese side has been half-hearted in honoring its responsibility and delayed the destruction plan four times. "Due to the Japanese side's lack of sincerity and investment, in particular, not providing comprehensive, detailed and accurate information on the burial sites, a large number of ACWs remain undiscovered, posing a great danger to the safety of Chinese people and the ecological environment," said the spokesperson. "Japan owes the Chinese people and the world an answer. There is no way for Japan to evade responsibility or muddle through," stressed the spokesperson.