People often tell lies to protect themselves or others or, sometimes, to cover up another lie, as popular Japanese TV detective drama "Shinzanmono" famously put it.

The whole world should be on high alert for Japan's manipulation of facts, which, if allowed to go unchecked, could have dangerous consequences. Two videos released on Thursday show just how distorted stories told by Japan can be.

The clips clearly show two Japanese F-15 jet fighters tailing a Chinese Tu-154 over the East China Sea from 10:17 a.m. to 10:28 a.m. on Wednesday.According to the Chinese defense ministry, the fighters came as close as 30 meters from the Chinese plane on routine patrol.

In the face of cast-iron facts, however, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga described the Chinese footage showing the incident as "nonsensical."

On the one hand, he claimed the footage had "nothing to do at all" with the incident. On the other hand, he demanded China take down the footage showing the incident.

Such self-contradicting remarks can only embarrass Japan itself, further damaging its credibility.

Also on Wednesday morning, two Japanese surveillance planes entered the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone. The two J-11 jet fighters sent to identify them maintained a distance of more than 150 meters during the whole process.

Japan, however, criticized the Chinese military for approaching "unusually close" to its surveillance aircraft on Wednesday, simply ignoring their own close encounter.

The situation calls for clarification to both China and the international community at large.

Since the end of the World War II, Japan has been a nation respected for honesty and sense of honor. The Japanese people in general have a relatively high reputation in the world. So why make these false charges, hyping up the "China threat" and generating tension?

This behavior has not gone unnoticed.

People still remember what happened on Sept. 18, 1931, when Japanese troops blew up a section of the railway under its control near Shenyang, then accused Chinese troops of sabotage as a pretext for attack, beginning the invasion of northeast China and 14 years of war.

In a Wednesday statement, a Japanese spokesman said the nation had lodged a protest and demanded China withdraw its application to list records of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and lifelong suffering of Chinese sex slaves on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. When Japan's drive to amend its pacifist constitution and expand its military force are taken into account, we need to have a clear mind on Japan's real intention.

We do not need a crystal ball to predict that Japan yearns to be infatuated with militarism again. It is in no country's interest to see Japan go down that path.