By Zhong Sheng

钟声

The Japanese side should have been soberly aware that it will not work if its words do not match with its actions on the issue of chemical weapons abandoned by Japanese in China during the Second World War (hereinafter referred to as "abandoned chemical weapons", ACWs) and tries to slip away unpunished. As long as those weapons have not been completely destroyed, the Chinese people will not give up holding it accountable, and the pressure from the international community on the Japanese side will also increase day by day.

日方应清醒认识到，在日遗化武问题上说一套、做一套，企图避重就轻、蒙混过关，是行不通的。日遗化武一刻未彻底销毁，中国人民就一刻不会放弃追责，国际社会对日方的压力只会与日俱增

Recently, a delegation of more than 40 personnel, including Fernando Arias, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and permanent diplomatic envoys or representatives of many countries to the OPCW, paid a virtual visit to China. During the visit, all parties listened to the briefing on the overall situation and the progress of destruction of ACWs, and took a virtue visit to Haerbaling, in Dunhua City, Northeast China's Jilin Province, the largest burial site of Japan's ACWs known so far in China. The delegation unanimously agreed that the Japanese side should attach great importance to the issue, completing the destruction as soon as possible, eliminating the harm to China, and making practical efforts to build a "chemical weapons-free world".

近日，禁止化学武器组织总干事阿里亚斯、多国常驻禁化武组织的使节和代表组成的代表团共40余人，通过视频形式进行了专题“云访华”。访问期间，各方听取了关于日本遗弃在华化学武器（以下简称“日遗化武”）总体情况及销毁进展介绍，在线参观了中国境内迄今发现的最大日遗化武埋藏点吉林省敦化市哈尔巴岭。代表团一致认为，应高度重视日遗化武问题，尽早彻底完成销毁，消除对中国的危害，为建设“无化武世界”作出切实努力。

The Japanese invaders used quantities of chemical weapons in the war of aggression against China. Before its declaration of defeat, the Japanese side buried or dumped a large number of chemical weapons in rivers and lakes in order to cover up its crimes. As of today, the Japanese ACWs have been discovered in more than 120 locations in 18 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China once ravaged by the Japanese Aggression. There are as many as 330,000 chemical weapons found in Haerbaling alone. It is really astounding to have so many places with such a large number. Japanese ACWs are but one of the Japanese atrocities committed against China, which has long endangered the lives, health and ecological security of the people in relevant areas of China.

日军曾在侵华战争中大量使用化学武器，战败前为掩盖罪行，将大量化学武器就地掩埋或抛弃于江河湖泊。今天，在曾经被日军战火蹂躏的中国土地上，有18个省、自治区、直辖市的120多个地点发现了日遗化武，仅哈尔巴岭就有约33万枚。范围之广、数量之大，令人震惊。日遗化武是日本军国主义侵华犯下的严重罪行之一，长期危害中国有关地区人民生命健康和生态安全。

China will eliminate Japanese ACWs in China and the legacy of the Japanese war of aggression against China in a thorough manner. This is a solemn commitment of the Chinese government to the Chinese people, and also an integral part of safeguarding the victory of the world’s anti-fascist war. Since the 1990s, China and Japan have negotiated the destruction of AWCs. In 1997, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), came into force. With the great efforts of China and the strong support from the international community, the CWC has clearly stipulated that for the purpose of destroying abandoned chemical weapons, the Abandoning State Party shall provide all necessary financial, technical, expert, facility as well as other resources. Under strong political, legal and public pressure, the Japanese side had to bow its head and admit its mistake. China and Japan signed a memorandum in 1999 on the destruction of chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China, indicating the disposal of Japanese ACWs has entered a substantive stage.

干净、彻底、全面地从中国土地上消除日遗化武，消除日本侵华战争遗毒，是中国政府对中国人民的庄严承诺，也是维护世界反法西斯战争胜利成果的应有之义。上世纪90年代起，中日就销毁日遗化武展开谈判。1997年，《禁止化学武器公约》正式生效。在中国的积极努力和国际社会的大力支持下，《禁止化学武器公约》明确规定遗弃国应为销毁遗弃化武提供一切必要的财政、技术、专家、设施及其他资源。在强大的政治、法理和舆论压力下，日方不得不低头认错。1999年，中日签署销毁日本遗弃在华化学武器备忘录，处理日遗化武迈入了实质性阶段。

However, the disposal process has been stumbling all the way. According to the provisions of the CWC, Japan should have completed the destruction by 2007. However, the Japanese side has not paid enough attention as shown by insufficient investment and weak will, and the destruction progress has seriously lagged behind. So far, only more than 60,000 pieces have been destroyed, and more than 90,000 pieces have been excavated and recovered. The results are not acceptable to the Chinese people or to the international community. Japan has not provided China with complete and accurate burial clues, with the total number and specific burial locations of the Japanese ACWs yet to be discovered. These ACWs have been underground for decades, causing a large amount of contaminated soil inurgent need of dealing with, while the Japanese side has shied away in every possible way, unwilling to take responsibility.

然而，日遗化武销毁进程一直磕磕绊绊。根据《禁止化学武器公约》规定，日本应在2007年完成销毁，但日方重视不够、投入不足、意愿不强，销毁进度严重滞后。至今仅销毁6万余枚，挖掘回收9万余枚，这无法向中国人民交代，也无法向国际社会交代。日本没有向中方提供完整、准确的埋藏线索，日遗化武总数和具体埋藏地点迄今无法明确。日遗化武埋藏地下数十年，造成大量污染土壤亟待处理，但日方百般推脱，一直不愿承担责任。

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. It is an important opportunity for the two sides to sum up history and create a future together. The issue of Japanese ACWs left behind serves as a ground to test whether Japan can face up to history, and also a touchstone to test whether Japan can truly contribute to regional peace, stability and development. The Japanese side should have been soberly aware that it will not work to try to say one thing and do another thing on the issue of Japanese ACWs left behind in China and try to slip away unpunished. As long as the Japanese chemical weapons could not be completely destroyed, the Chinese people will not give up holding it accountable, and the pressure from the international community on the Japanese side will also increase day by day.

今年是中日邦交正常化50周年，是双方总结历史、共创未来的重要契机。日遗化武问题是测试日方能否正视历史的试验场，也是检验日方能否真正为地区和平、稳定与发展作出贡献的试金石。日方应清醒认识到，在日遗化武问题上说一套、做一套，企图避重就轻、蒙混过关，是行不通的。日遗化武一刻未彻底销毁，中国人民就一刻不会放弃追责，国际社会对日方的压力只会与日俱增。

The CWC has been in force for 25 years. To solve the issue of Japanese ACWs and realize the vision of a "chemical weapons-free world" earlier have been a common voice of the international community. The Japanese side is thus supposed to earnestly increase its investment to eliminate the legacy of ACWs as soon as possible thoroughly to return to the Chinese people pure land, demonstrating the political will to fulfill its international obligations and the political courage to atone for its historical guilt.

《禁止化学武器公约》已生效25年，早日解决日遗化武问题、早日实现“无化武世界”的愿景是国际社会的共同呼声。日方应拿出尽国际义务的政治意愿、赎历史罪责的政治勇气，切实加大投入，尽早干净、彻底、全面消除日遗化武遗毒，还中国人民一片净土。