In the debate, he refused to take a stance on whether he believed Japan invaded China and established colonial rule on the Korean peninsula in the 20th century.
"I'm not saying that there was no colonial rule or aggression. But I'm not in the position to define" those terms, Mr. Abe said in the televised debate between the heads of nine political parties.
Mr. Abe stuck to his position that matters of history should be left to experts.
"Judging and defining history can develop into political and diplomatic problems. It's wrong to interpret history measuring the potential problems it will cause," Mr. Abe said.
The prime minister last caused controversy over the issue in April, when he raised the question of the difficulty of interpreting history after a lawmaker asked whether he supported an official 1995 apology for Japan's past behavior.
"The definition of what constitutes an 'invasion' has yet to be established in academia or in the international community," Mr. Abe said at the time. "Things that happened between nations will look different depending on which side you view them from."
The statement set off fierce protests in South Korea and China. Six months into office, Mr. Abe has yet to meet his counterparts in Beijing and Seoul, partially because of such differences on historical matters.
Asked to comment on Mr. Abe's latest remarks, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters Wednesday: "The war of aggression committed by Japanese militarism brought untold suffering to its Asian neighbors." She added: "There is irrefutable evidence about that and history is not to be denied." Without a more clear admission of its history, she said, "I believe that there won't be a bright future for the relations between Japan and its Asian neighbors."
"I'm not saying that there was no colonial rule or aggression. But I'm not in the position to define" those terms, Mr. Abe said in the televised debate between the heads of nine political parties.
Mr. Abe stuck to his position that matters of history should be left to experts.
"Judging and defining history can develop into political and diplomatic problems. It's wrong to interpret history measuring the potential problems it will cause," Mr. Abe said.
The prime minister last caused controversy over the issue in April, when he raised the question of the difficulty of interpreting history after a lawmaker asked whether he supported an official 1995 apology for Japan's past behavior.
"The definition of what constitutes an 'invasion' has yet to be established in academia or in the international community," Mr. Abe said at the time. "Things that happened between nations will look different depending on which side you view them from."
The statement set off fierce protests in South Korea and China. Six months into office, Mr. Abe has yet to meet his counterparts in Beijing and Seoul, partially because of such differences on historical matters.
Asked to comment on Mr. Abe's latest remarks, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters Wednesday: "The war of aggression committed by Japanese militarism brought untold suffering to its Asian neighbors." She added: "There is irrefutable evidence about that and history is not to be denied." Without a more clear admission of its history, she said, "I believe that there won't be a bright future for the relations between Japan and its Asian neighbors."