However, Lyu said the fall of Japanese militarism and the institution of the pacifist Constitution were achievements of the anti-fascist war, as well as Japan's commitment to peace.

"Japan's prime minister Abe, representative of right-wing conservatism, has never experienced wars, ignorant of war's cruelty, nor does he bear guilt for war crimes," said Jin Canrong, deputy head of International Studies College of the Renmin University of China.

"They come from eminent family backgrounds, confident and nationalistic, aspiring to restore Japan's political and military power," Jin said.

Correspondingly, Japanese society, sagged by two decades of stagnant economic growth and frequent political reshuffles and unsettled by China's rapid expansion, very likely supports an assertive leader, Jin said.

The right wing's recent moves also obstructed the work of Japan's anti-war activists.

"It is the worst time for the peace movement in Japan," said Nishino Rumiko, founder of the Women's Active Museum on War and Peace, in an interview with China Youth Daily, published Wednesday.