China Monday expressed its "extreme regret'' and "strong indignation'' towards Japan's refusal to revise a history textbook that critics say whitewashes Japan's wartime atrocities.

Japan told China Monday through diplomatic channels that it won't make further revisions to the controversial history textbook. China, in turn, expressed serious representation towards Japanese Government's decision, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said.

Japan approved the history textbook in April, straining the island nation's diplomatic ties with its Asian neighbours, particularly China and South Korea. Both nations, victims of Japanese invasions and atrocities during World War II, demanded extensive revisions.

Zhang said the history textbook, compiled by Japan's right-wing forces, is notorious for its distorted facts to beautify and deny Japan's aggressive assaults throughout Asia in the 1940s and earlier.

"The decision made by the Japanese Government betrays its commitment on historic issues by shielding right-wing forces,'' Zhang said. "China cannot accept the position.''

Japan's action will cause the country to lose credibility with the people in Asia and damage its international image, Zhang said.

"We urge the Japanese side to seriously listen to the calls from the people in the former war-victim countries and to adopt practical measures to ease the tension caused by the textbook issue,'' Zhang said.

Japan also told China Monday the textbook does not imply any change in the government's official position or the Japanese people's view of history.

Japan said it stands by its 1995 statement by the former Japan Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and the Japanese-Chinese Joint Declaration of 1998 that Japan feels deep introspection and apology over the atrocities and damage to the Chinese people by the Japanese aggression.

Officials from China's Foreign Ministry said the attitude towards that period of Japan's history is important to Sino-Japanese relations.

China has noted Japan's expression on history but stressed that more practical actions are needed by the Japanese.

The Japanese Government's decision on the history textbook issue is a denial and beautification of its past history of aggression and such a decision is " unacceptable," said a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Education Monday.

The spokesman said the decision itself defies the previous statement made by the Japanese Government on history and makes excuses for the right-wing forces.