http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200504/30/eng20050430_183377.html
UPDATED: 15:07, April 30, 2005
Correct handling of history important to China-Japan ties
The five-point proposal on the development of Sino-Japanese relations, made by
Chinese President Hu Jintao and reiterating the principle of "taking history as
a mirror and looking to the future," has pointed out the way to correctly deal
with the Sino-Japanese relations.
At a recent summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in
Jakarta, Hu put forward the five-point proposal and hoped that Japan could
translate its remorse for its war of aggression into action and adopt a
scrupulous and prudent attitude toward Japan's wartime history.
Hu's proposal, which points out the direction for the correct handling of
Sino-Japanese ties, is of great significance to leading the two countries out
of the current difficult diplomatic situation, safeguarding the fundamental
interests of the two countries and two peoples and building a friendly
partnership committed to peace and development.
The handling of history determines the development direction of Sino-Japanese
ties.
As is known to all, the war of aggression against China by the Japanese
militarists inflicted immense disaster on the Chinese people.
According to incomplete statistics, the war resulted in 35 million Chinese
casualties and more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and troops were killed in
the massacre in Nanjing, a city in eastern China, alone in 1937.
In addition, the Japanese aggression caused a direct economic loss of 100
billion US dollars and an indirect loss of 500 billion dollars, calculated in
terms of the price level in 1937.
Japan's failure to face up to and sincerely reflect upon that period of history
seriously hurts the feelings of the Chinese people.
The correct handling of history is the political cornerstone for the
development of Sino-Japanese ties, and this is best embodied in the three
political documents between China and Japan - - the Sino-Japanese Joint
Statement, the Peace and Friendship Treaty and the Sino-Japanese Joint
Declaration.
Commenting on Japan's dealing with the history issue, the late Chinese premier
Zhou Enlai said, "The past not forgotten is a guide for the future."
In 1995, former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama apologized for
Japan's wrongdoing in the war at a gathering marking the 50th anniversary of
the end of World War II.
"Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and
suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian
nations," Murayama said on Aug. 15, 1995.
Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, while meeting with the then Japanese
Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto in 1996, said, "As proved by events in more
than two decades that have passed, bilateral relations will develop smoothly so
long as we face history as it is and implement our declaration to the letter."
Chinese President Hu Jintao and other Chinese leaders have also said that the
bilateral ties shall develop smoothly as long as the two sides take history as
a mirror and look to the future.
To correctly deal with history is also in the fundamental interests of Japan
and its people. As pointed out by Japanese media, once the history issue is
properly handled, Japan's political relations with China and other Asian
nations would see great improvement and economic cooperation experience greater
development, which is of great importance to Japan, whose economy is highly
dependent on the international market.
Japan has been seeking a permanent seat in the UN Security Council for years.
But just as it has been made clear by South Korea, the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea and Singapore, a permanent member of the UN Security Council
should be a responsible country, and if Japan could not even face up to its own
war past, how could it shoulder the responsibility of a UN Security Council
permanent member and win support and trust from its Asian neighbors?
The Japanese government has expressed remorse and made apologies for its war
past in both written and oral forms, which could be seen in the three important
documents signed by China and Japan and heard in the speeches of Murayama and
incumbent Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro.
Then why Asian countries, including China, keep showing strong dissatisfaction
with Japan? The answer largely lies in the fact that Japan's "remorse" remains
merely lip service. In reality, the country keeps breaking its promises and
repeatedly violating its commitments.
And some Japanese politicians have also in recent years made repeated attempts
to deny or whitewash Japan's war past.
Since taking office in 2001, Koizumi has, for four consecutive years, paid
annual visits to the Yasukuni Shrine which enshrines Japanese war dead,
including 14 Class-A Japanese war criminals, in defiance of strong protests
from China and other Asian countries.
Japan's Education and Science Ministry gave the green light early this month to
right-wing history textbooks which gloss over Japan's war-time atrocities.
All this runs against the pledges by the Japanese government regarding the
history issue and has hurt the political basis of Sino-Japanese relations, thus
resulting in the difficulties in the Sino-Japanese relations.
Therefore, President Hu, when talking about how Japan should handle its
history, urged Japan to "translate its remorse for its war of aggression into
action and refrain from moves that will again hurt the feelings of the Chinese
people and the peoples of other Asian countries."
Only by so doing, can Japan win trust from its Asian neighbors including China
and develop a harmonious relationship with China.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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