HONG KONG - Hong Kong's education chief has requested the exam authorities to invalidate a "biased" and "leading" question in a history paper of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination.

More than 5,000 candidates sitting for the university entrance exam on Thursday were asked to discuss whether Japan did more good than harm to China between 1900 and 1945, on the basis of two reading materials given.

Meeting the press on Friday, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said the one-sided question has failed the purpose of the history subject and is thus unsuitable for assessing the students' ability.

The request also came amid students' concerns that their answers could be unfairly marked, according to Yeung.

Yeung said Japan's invasion of China during the Second World War led to the death of hundreds of millions of Chinese people. For that reason, it brought nothing but harm to China, he added.

Yet the question's reference materials focused only on the aids Japan offered to China in the early 20th century. "Students were highly likely to be misled to making biased conclusions contrary to the nation's common understanding of history", Yeung said.

Reiterating a statement the bureau issued on Thursday night, Yeung expressed regrets over the matter for "seriously hurting the feelings of Chinese people who suffered from Japanese invasion of China".

A team of professionals will be assigned on Monday to the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority to review the design, vetting and approval process of the history paper. Yeung said the move is also to ensure the credibility of the DSE exam.

Dismissing criticism that the bureau is overstepping into the work of the HKEAA, an independent statutory body, Yeung said the bureau has its duty to ensure the fairness of the exam and the quality of its test papers.

Earlier on Friday, the HKEAA also expressed its "deep regret" that the question could have hurt the feelings of Chinese people. The authority's secretary general So Kwok-sang said the HKEAA will follow up on the matter seriously.