Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ Ｖｅｔｅｒａｎ Ｍｉｔｓｕｓｈｉｇｅ Ｍａｅｄａ ｉｓ Ｓｐｅｅｃｈ ａｔ ＣＰＡＦＦＣ ｉｓ Ｒｅｃｅｐｔｉｏｎ

Sixtieth Anniversary of Victory of Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War Commemorated

Japanese Veteran Mitsushige Maeda’s Speech at CPAFFC’s Reception

First of all， I would like to thank the Chinese people for inviting us to attend the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression!

Today， we are very honoured to attend this grand ceremony. Sixty-seven years ago， I was a Japanese soldier who had aimed my gun at the Eighth Route Army in the battlefield. But， after I was captured by the Eighth Route Army， instead of regarding me as an enemy， they gave me sufficient freedom and equality and treated me like a friend， brother and comrade， which eventually awakened me from my ignorance. Under the education of the Communist Party of China and the Eighth Route Army， our outlook of the world fundamentally changed through our study and we learned that the war launched by Japanese imperialism against China was an unjust war of aggression， and that to eliminate this kind of war， to liberate the Chinese people and the Japanese people from the suppression of Japanese imperialism and to make friendship between the two nations last forever we should follow the road pointed out by the Communist Party of China and the Eighth Route Army.

With the Eighth Route Army’s support and assistance， in 1939， we set up the League of Awakened Japanese Soldiers and the Anti-War League of the Japanese in China， which was renamed the League for the Liberation of the Japanese People in 1944. From North China to Central China， anti-war organizations of Japanese soldiers were established one after another. The League had got 17 branches with more than one thousand members by 1945. The anti-war activities of the Anti-War League spread to all corners of the enemy's rear areas， and progressively extended into the invading Japanese army and its inner circles， until the day of Japanese surrender.

In the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression， the Anti-War League and the League for the Liberation of the Japanese people fought bloody battles together with the Chinese army and people. They showed high degree of internationalism， shed blood and made brave sacrifices and performed innumerous heroic deeds， which has left a glorious page in the magnificent epic of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and made outstanding contributions to safeguarding world peace.

Whether in view of its grand scale and extensive mobilization， or the rise of a whole nation， or the victory of a weak semi-colonial country over a strong imperialist power and its far-reaching significance， China’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is one of the greatest national wars in human history. As a Japanese who had taken part in this war， I regard it as an honour of my life.

Today， sixty years afterwards， the Japanese need to learn from the history more than any other time in the past. China and Japan are neighbouring countries separated only by a strip of water， and their people have traditional friendship as long as a thousand years. But none of us should forget the years of invasion of one country by another in the history of China-Japan relations. The history should never be forgotten. The atrocities committed by the Japanese imperialist invasion of China should be revealed to the world so as to let people remember them， remember the historical lessons. Hostility should be turned into friendship. The self-examination of a nation is more important than another’s tolerance.

Sixty years have passed quickly， andpast events are fading away. For a country and nation， only when it is strong， can it not be subjected to bullying and aggression. Today， China's comprehensive strength has tremendously increased， which is something for all to rejoice. We love peace， and so we hope China will become more prosperous and strong.