China on Saturday voiced strong indignation over an essay written by former Japanese air force chief Gen. Toshio Tamogami which denied the country's World War?II aggression in Asia.

"We are shocked by and express our strong indignation over the senior Japanese military officer's denial of Japan's aggression and overtly glorifying its history of invasion," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in response to a question.

An essay written by General Toshio Tamogami, chief of staff of Japan's Air Self-Defence Force, was published online on Friday. In the essay Tamogami claimed that Japan was wrongly defamed as an aggressor country in connection with the war in China and World War II.

Shortly after the essay was released, Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada announced Friday that he would dismiss Tamogami because the essay he wrote went against the government's official position, and contradicted a statement released in 1995 by the then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama that expressed deep regret over the country's past colonization and aggression in Asian countries.

"We have taken notice of the attitude and measures taken by the Japanese government," Jiang said, and called on the two nations to work together to safeguard bilateral relations.

"The war of aggression launched by the Japanese militarists brought untold suffering to the Asian people including the Chinese people, which is an undeniable historic fact," she said, adding that having a correct understanding of, and properly dealing with that period of history, is the important political basis for the development of Sino-Japanese friendly and cooperative ties.

(Xinhua News Agency November 2, 2008)