Outcry in Japan over Chinese bias at Canadian history museum: ‘lies into truth’

With exhibits on Unit 731 and wartime atrocities, critics in Tokyo warn the museum is eroding Japan’s ‘credibility and national dignity’

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Japanese troops in Nanking, now known as Nanjing, after conquering the city in 1937. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Published: 8:06am, 4 Jun 2025Updated: 8:18am, 4 Jun 2025

Conservatives in Japan are urging the government to take action against a museum in Toronto run by a Chinese-Canadian organisation, accusing it of distorting history and harming the country’s international reputation.

They say the Asia-Pacific Peace Museum, which opened in June 2024, presents a solely Chinese perspective on events such as the massacre at Nanking, now known as the city of Nanjing, the wartime use of “comfort women”, and the activities of Unit 731, a covert Japanese military unit that conducted human experimentation in China, while ignoring historical evidence and explanations from the Japanese side.

Masahisa Sato, a lawmaker with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has twice raised the issue in Japan’s upper house of parliament, warning in April that “if historical issues are not addressed seriously, then it will be extremely difficult to change perceptions”.

“The Japanese population in Canada is significantly smaller than the Chinese population,” he said. “If we do not take historical issues seriously, then Japanese people will lose their standing.”

Apparently dissatisfied with the government’s failure to act, Sato brought the matter up again on May 27, calling on Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya to register a formal protest with his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand.

“We have confirmed cases where the exhibits were made with extreme language and expressions that are far removed from the historical facts,” Iwaya replied. Japan would make representations “at the most appropriate level and timing”, he added.

Outcry in Japan over Chinese bias at Canadian history museum: ‘lies into truth’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}With exhibits on Unit 731 and wartime atrocities, critics in Tokyo warn the museum is eroding Japan’s ‘credibility and national dignity’

With exhibits on Unit 731 and wartime atrocities, critics in Tokyo warn the museum is eroding Japan’s ‘credibility and national dignity’