China's official news agency has slammed Prime Minister Tony Abbott for praising Japan's World War II military prowess in his welcome to Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Xinhua believes Mr Abbott's admiration of Japanese war skills was appalling and "insensible" (sic) to victim countries.
"He probably wasn't aware that the Japanese troops possessed other `skills', skills to loot, to rape, to torture and to kill. All these had been committed under the name of honour almost 70 years ago," Xinhua said in a commentary on its website.
The agency is regarded as reflecting the views of China's government.
This comes amid growing Chinese assertiveness in regional territorial disputes. Japan is also shrugging off the pacifist foreign policy it has had since its defeat in World War II.
More than any other nation, China suffered under Japan's 14-year military occupation with as many as 20 million dead.
In his address to the parliamentary sitting attended by Mr Abe, Mr Abbott cited the bravery of Japanese submariners killed in the 1942 raid on Sydney harbour.
"We admired the skill and the sense of honour that they brought to their task although we disagreed with what they did. Perhaps we grasped, even then, that with a change of heart the fiercest of opponents could be the best of friends," Mr Abbott said.
Xinhua said Mr Abbott showed how "insensible" he is towards people who suffered greatly as a result of the "advanced" war skills of Japanese troops and their sense of honour during their aggression.
"While Japan has earned the reputation of a good international citizen, how much does it owe to its pacifist constitution, of which Abe and his cabinet are trying to change by re-interpreting its key article," it said.
Mr Abbott's gaffe came as the Japanese leader stood on the red dirt of the Pilbara and saw for the first time the iron ore his nation turns into steel.
The iron-rich dirt he saw being dug up on Wednesday could be in Japanese steel mills within a month.
And that steel could be back in Australia soon after in the trucks at the very mine where he stood.
"I've been amazed to be able to actually see this iron ore for myself here today," Mr Abe told Rio Tinto workers via a translator.
Rio Tinto, which operates the West Angelas mine inspected by Mr Abe and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, is the largest supplier of raw materials to Japan.
The West Australian leg rounds out Mr Abe's three-day tour of Australia, the first visit by a Japanese leader since 2002.
Mr Abe especially asked to visit the Pilbara during his trip.
He said the Rio Tinto mine, a joint partnership with Japanese companies, symbolised the relationship between his country and Australia.
Mr Abbott said the historic collaboration between Australian mining "know-how" and Japanese capital and technology was a long-term one built on trust.
That's what he hopes will always characterise the relationship between Australia and Japan as well as good faith and confidence that "we will do what we say we will do".
The two leaders travelled together on the same plane as they made the five-hour journey across the country from Canberra.
Mr Abe noted the flight was twice as long as a summit meeting the two had at Parliament House on Tuesday.
"But I actually believe that we had a deeper, deeper discussion on the flight," he said.
The pair's obviously warm relationship was emphasised by Mr Abbott's multiples references to "my friend Shinzo Abe".
The last time Mr Abbott visited the Pilbara he eagerly jumped in the driver's seat of an enormous truck.
This time there was no driver's seat - although he and Mr Abe gleefully climbed onto a truck.
Rio Tinto is rolling out driverless trucks and drill rigs - controlled remotely from Perth - across its mines and West Angelas is the program's trial site.
Rio Tinto boss Sam Walsh said the company's iron ore business was born from Japanese investment and the company would never forget that support.
