With the United States reaffirming its commitment to its alliance with Japan, it needs to make sure that the tail does not wag the dog.

Dong Manyuan, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said it was the responsibility of Japan's ally the United States to rein in the Abe administration and stop it crossing the red line.

"Washington should remain alert to Japan's attempts to undermine the pacifist Constitution, rebuild the prewar military system and overthrow the postwar international order," Dong said.

However, key US government figures, including the US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and the US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, have publicly endorsed the decision by Japan's Cabinet to reinterpret the Constitution.

"The US should be careful about being hijacked by Japanese right-wing's interests," Dong said.

Reuters reported on Monday that China, which frequently praises Germany for its contrition over World War II, pointedly emphasized Japanese wartime aggression on Monday during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit.

In remarks to mostly German and Chinese reporters, Premier Li Keqiang pointed out that Monday was the 77th anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, and said the day was one "the Chinese people must always bear firmly in mind". "We must always remember history to correctly face up to the past," he said.

The authors are with China Daily. Contact them at lixiaokun@chinadaily.com.cn and zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 07/08/2014 page8)