Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said Sunday it was important to remember the good things Japan did for the island while also recognizing the negative aspects of their history.

Speaking in Taipei on the 70th anniversary of the day Japan gave up control of the island at the end of World War II, or what Taiwan refers to as Retrocession Day, Ma acknowledged that Japan's invasion of China killed millions and that issues such as the "comfort women," those forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels, still cause deep pain today.

"But Japanese colonial rule of Taiwan also bought construction, like the Chianan irrigation system and Wusanto reservoir," Ma said, referring to two projects Japan oversaw.