Leading European scholars have urged Japan to follow Germany's example and "fully recognize the terrible human sufferings" imposed on Chinese and other Asians during World War II, saying such a recognition would be a very important element in solving the Beijing-Tokyo dispute over the Diaoyu Islands.

The scholars made the comments as Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba arrived in Paris on Tuesday. He will leave for London on Wednesday, and then move to Germany on a three-country European tour.