Chinese are outraged over a remark by a Japanese hotel chain that has refused to withdraw books from its guest rooms in Japan that deny the Nanjing Massacre in China during World War II.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying reiterated on Monday that forgetting history means betraying it, and denying responsibility for crime means recommitting it.

The determination of a small group of people in Japan to ignore the country's historical crimes helps cultivate new ground for the far-right to flourish, she said.