Spats between Japan and its Asian neighbors over its imperialist history escalated again after the new chairman of NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, claimed that the Japanese imperial army's "comfort women" brothel system was "common" worldwide during World War II.

Such a twisted reading of history will only further damage Japan's image in the region and on the world stage, says Xinhua News Agency.

Katsuto Momii, widely denounced for his reckless talking in the past couple of days, expressed regret on Monday and admitted that his comments were "extremely inappropriate", but he refused to resign as many have demanded.