Japan denied Monday that Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura used direct words of apology for Japan's wartime aggression when he met with Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing over the weekend.
According to Vice Foreign Minister Shotaro Yachi, Machimura told Li that Japan's stance on its wartime history remains unchanged, referring to a 1995 statement issued by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama offering Japan's "heartfelt apologies" over its past aggression in China.
But Machimura did not use words of apology at the talks as is reported in China, Yachi told a news conference.