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S. Korean sports committee asks Japan to take measures on history-distorting books in hotels

Xinhua, January 25, 2017 Adjust font size:

South Korea's sports committee has asked its Japanese counterpart to take measures on books placed in guestrooms of a right-wing Japanese hotel chain that denies Japan's wartime crimes.

An official with the Korean Olympic Committee told Xinhua Wednesday that the committee had received a phone response last week from the organizing committee of the 2017 Asian Winter Games to make efforts to resolve the issue.

Despite phone communications, the issue had yet to be resolved, and the South Korean committee has sent a formal letter to the Japanese Olympic Committee and the organizing committee, the official said.

The letter expressed worry about the books, demanding proper measures be taken.

Asked about whether to take further actions, the official said the South Korean committee will review whether to do more after receiving the Japanese organizing committee's reply to the letter.

Among the South Korean sports delegation of about 230 athletes and officials, around 170 have been previously arranged to live in a hotel of APA Group, the Japanese operator of over 400 hotels, in northern Sapporo, the official said.

The Asian sports event is scheduled to be held in Japan from Feb. 19 to Feb. 26. Some 2,000 athletes, including those from China and South Korea, will be accommodated by APA hotels in Sapporo.

APA Group touched off anger both in South Korea and China by putting inside hotel rooms copies of books which deny the 1937 Nanjing massacre and depict the "comfort women" as "prostitutes" during World War Two.

The books, titled "The Real History of Japan - Theoretical Modern History" and "The Real History of Japan - Theoretical Modern History II," were authored by Seiji Fuji, the pen name of President of APA Group Toshio Motoya.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a regular briefing on Tuesday that China will never tolerate brazen distortions of history that hurt the Chinese.

"Whoever acts recklessly will pay the price," Hua said.

China National Tourism Administration on Tuesday asked all outbound travel agencies and websites to stop cooperating with APA Group. Endit