China turned up the heat on Japan yesterday over the death of man who came in contact with World War II-era mustard gas left by retreating Japanese troops, saying the public was "outraged" by the incident.
"The Chinese people are outraged by the incident," State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, the former foreign minister, was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency.
"The Japanese government should take a responsible attitude towards history and speed up the destruction of the chemical weapons they left in China, in accordance with the relevant bilateral agreements and international pacts."
He said the hundreds of thousands of chemical weapons abandoned throughout China by Japanese soldiers in the closing months of World War II "chronically endanger" the safety of the Chinese people.
China Friday summoned the Japanese ambassador to Beijing to express its anger after a man died from massive burns after being exposed to the gas earlier this month.
Tokyo on Friday expressed its condolences over the incident and promised to"dispose of the dangerous chemical weapons as soon as possible."
Five containers of the lethal gas, sealed with lead and wrapped in plastic, were uncovered on a construction site in Qiqihar city on Aug. 4.
One was accidentally broken, causing an oil-like substance to leak into surrounding areas, poisoning at least 41 people.
It was later confirmed to be mustard gas, which Tokyo admitted was buried by its army nearly 60 years ago.
Some 32 victims remain in hospital, with five listed in critical condition, China's state press said.
Japan's brutal occupation of Chinese territory before and during the war remains a source of tension between the countries, although Tang made clear Beijing would continue "to advocate a good-neighborly and friendly policy towards Japan" despite the recent outcry
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