Australia’s China, Japan embassies in dispute over alleged wartime history comments

The Chinese consulate has claimed its top envoy ‘excoriated’ Japanese ambassador Shingo Yamagami for downplaying World War II atrocities

But the Japanese embassy says it has ‘no idea’ about the insinuations, while an analyst says Beijing has to ‘do better’ to stymie growing ties between Tokyo and Canberra

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Japan’s ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami, addresses the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia, on July 21. Photo: AP

Published: 6:31pm, 3 Aug 2021Updated: 10:36pm, 3 Aug 2021

China’s embassy in Australia has claimed its top envoy “excoriated” his Japanese counterpart for downplaying imperial Japan’s wartime atrocities at a diplomatic event, prompting protests from the Japanese consulate – along with confusion about whether the alleged confrontation actually took place.

In a statement published on its website last month, the Chinese embassy accused Japanese ambassador to Australia Shingo Yamagami of making “nasty remarks” about China at an unspecified function and glorifying Tokyo’s “brutal aggression and atrocities” during World War II.

“It is all natural he was excoriated by the Chinese ambassador on the spot,” read the July 22 statement, released a day after Yamagami gave a speech to Australia’s National Press Club. “And his offer to invite the Chinese ambassador for a dinner was politely declined.”

The Chinese embassy also said a “small number of Japanese” with an “imperial dream” had not come to terms with the fact China’s economy had overtaken Japan’s, and insisted “the trajectory of world development will not be altered just because someone does not like it”.

But in a response to This Week in Asia, a spokesperson for the Japanese embassy in Canberra denied Yamagami had ever glorified “any past issues” and said the Japanese side had “no idea as to what the Chinese embassy is insinuating”.

“It came out of the blue,” the spokesperson said via email. “It is a wonder why the embassy of China played the history card regarding the ambassador’s National Press Club address. The embassy of Japan in Australia strongly protests these claims made by the Chinese embassy.”