A Chinese group has asked Japan to return a 1,300-year-old stone stele looted by Japanese soldiers early last century from northeastern China.
The China Federation of Demanding Compensation from Japan addressed a letter to Japanese Emperor Akihito and the Japanese government on Sunday via the Japanese Embassy in China.
In the letter, the federation points out that the looted relic, the Honglujing Stele, which is kept in a Japanese palace, documents China's endorsement of the first king of the Bohai Kingdom (698-926) in 713 A.D., and should be handed back to China as soon as possible.
Federation president Tong Zeng says it is the first time a Chinese civic group has asked the Japanese imperial family for the return of a looted Chinese relic.
"We just took a first step to attempt to re-aquire a Chinese cultural relic. Loss of the relic is an outrage for the Chinese nation. Our move is also about upholding international morality, justice, and post-war order."
So far, he says the federation has not yet received any reply from Japanese authorities.
Established in 2006, the CFDC seeks compensation for personal, material, and spiritual damage caused by Japanese militarism during the country's aggression against China in the 20th century.
