History remembered: compass showing the path humanity must not stray from: China Daily editorial

Tuesday marks the 89th anniversary of the Lugou Bridge Incident, the start of Japan's full-scale invasion of China.

The weathered stone arches of the 834-year-old bridge stretching over the Yongding River in Beijing's southern suburb stand as an eternal witness to Japan's wartime brutality, yet that country's historical narration continues to obscure and distort this foundational truth.

Many Japanese textbooks offer ambiguous, blame-shifting descriptions of the incident, erasing the premeditated military provocation and painting the full-scale war as the result of "an accidental clash" between Japanese and Chinese troops.

This systematic distortion of history amounts to a blatant refusal to acknowledge Japan's wartime aggression — let alone accept responsibility for the suffering it inflicted upon its neighbors.

Declassified historical files irrefutably prove the incident was a carefully orchestrated military plot of Japan. Long before July 1937, political circles in Tokyo had prearranged a regional conflict to coincide with Japan's Tanabata Festival. A sharp military troop surge in North China further exposed Japan's aggressive intentions, as the Japanese forces in Beijing nearly tripled within four months in 1936, laying the groundwork for the deliberate provocation of conflict.

Japan's distortion of wartime truth extends far beyond the incident. Channel NewsAsia's recent investigative documentary series on Japan's infamous Unit 731 presented the long-concealed atrocities of Japan's state-run biological warfare program to the world.

An archival book, Black Box: Unit 731, published on Sunday in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, where the notorious unit was based from 1936 to 1945, further unveils solid documentary evidence of the unit's systematic wartime crimes, and how Unit 731 personnel traded experimental data for postwar immunity, escaping all judicial punishment to occupy elite social positions.

The Chinese people harbor indelible memories of the suffering caused by the war. However, their remembering of this period of history is not to perpetuate hatred, but to draw lessons from the past to cherish and safeguard peace.

History rarely repeats itself exactly, but, as has been said, it often rhymes. All countries in the region must remain highly vigilant to the emergence of neo-militarism in Japan today.

Eighty-one years ago, the Chinese people thoroughly defeated the Japanese militarist aggressors. Under the banner of the national united front against Japanese aggression established at the initiative of the Communist Party of China, the nation stood up to fight the Japanese invaders with an iron will.

This victory was a vital part of the World Anti-Fascist War, with China's immense sacrifices — over 35 million casualties — underpinning the defense of human civilization and global peace.

The Lugou Bridge Incident and other Japanese war crimes against the Chinese people are recalled to honor fallen heroes, cherish peace, create a better future and prevent the right-wing forces of Japan from rewriting history.

History cautions that humanity rises and falls together. Only when all nations treat each other as equals, coexist in peace and support each other, can we uphold common security, eradicate the root cause of war and prevent the recurrence of historical tragedies.

The Chinese people's victory against Japanese invaders 81 years ago was a historic turning point for the Chinese nation, which emerged from the grave crises of those times to embark on the journey toward its great rejuvenation.

The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) shows that might may rule the moment, but right prevails forever.

Chinese modernization follows the path of peaceful development. The country always stands on the right side of history, unwavering in its commitment to uphold justice and peace.

War is a mirror. It shows us the true value of peace. Although peace and development are the trends of the day, the world is far from peaceful. The sword of Damocles still hangs overhead. All countries should learn from history and devote themselves to peaceful coexistence.

Prejudice, hatred and war bring only suffering; respect, equality and shared prosperity are the right path.