Penang Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and several Chinese-based non-government organisations in the state have demanded an official apology from Japan for allegedly distorting facts in school textbooks about the nation's aggression in Asia during World War II.

PKR state deputy chairperson Cheah Kah Peng said the government should further submit an official demand to Tokyo to stop fabricating historical facts to justify Japanese military aggression and occupation during the war.

"Truth is, Japan committed a war crime and genocide against innocent beings during the war. Distortion of the historical facts and justification of the aggression warrants an official international apology from the Japanese government," he said.

"The Malaysian government should take an official stand and demand an official apology from Tokyo."

It was reported that the Japanese government recently changed historical facts in school textbooks by portraying the country's occupation in the Far East and Southeast Asia as an act of "liberation from white colonial rulers".

Emulate Germany

Over the weekend, Penang PKR and several non-government organisations held a joint protest at a World War II monument near Penang Hill.

Among the protestors were PKR state leader Tan Cheong Heng and Save Ourselves (SOS) secretary Ong Beng Keong.

Ong said that, instead of distorting historical facts to deceive the younger generation, Tokyo should emulate Germany and apologise to all the countries that suffered under Japanese occupation.

"Germany apologised to all the European countries for their war crimes, why not Japan?" he asked, adding that an apology would only improve ties between Japan and its neighbours.

The issue has also sparked off protests in China, Korea, Taiwan, Macau and Singapore against the Japan.

Neighbouring countries have been angered by amendments made to the Japanese constitution over the years that allowed the country to deploy its armed forces in other countries in times of emergency.

ATHI VEERANGGAN is malaysiakini's Penang-based stringer.