The Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) on Thursday urged the government to better educate the public about Chinese history as it marked the 85th anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident.

Representatives of the union handed in a petition to an SAR government representative, saying that people should have knowledge of the historical event, which is considered to be the start of Japan’s full-scale invasion of China in 1937.

FTU lawmaker Michael Luk also said the experiences of veterans could be recorded and used as teaching materials in schools to educate students.

Another FTU lawmaker, Bill Tang, said it is the government’s responsibility to help Hong Kong people better understand history.

"Not only should we condemn the Japanese's bad behaviour, the Hong Kong government also has the responsibility to promote and enhance modern Chinese history to the public, to the young generation," he said.

Meanwhile, activists of the Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands marched to the Japanese Consulate in Central on Thursday morning, demanding an apology and compensation from Tokyo.