ＣＰＡＦＦＣ Ｄｅｌｅｇａｔｉｏｎ Ｉｎ Ｊａｐａｎ

At the invitation of the Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association(JCCEA)， a 6-member CPAFFC delegation led by Liu Deyou， former vice cultural minister and executive vice president of the Chinese Association for Cultural Exchanges with Foreign Countries， paid a visit to Japan from July 10 to 19. The members of the delegation included Su Shishu， calligrapher and director of the Cultural Relics Publishing House， Zhang Baorui， writer and deputy editor-in-chief of the Xinhua Publishing House， and staff members of the CPAFFC. The delegation visited Tokyo， Shimane， Tottori and Osaka.

Grand Welcoming Reception

On the afternoon of July 12， the JCCEA held a grand reception in Tokyo in honour of the delegation. More than 400 new and old Japanese friends including Yohei Kono， speaker of the House of Representatives， Tetsuzo Fuwa， chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Japan， Mizuho Fukushima， chairman of the Social Democratic Party， Takeshi Noda， president of the Japan-China Society， Hiromu Nonaka， honorary adviser to the Japan-China Friendship Association (JCFA)， Koichi Kato， former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party， Masao Shimizu， director-general of the Matsuyama Ballet， Takashi Tsujii and Senji Kuroi，president and director-general of the JCCEA， attended the reception. In his speech， Liu Deyou spoke highly of the important contributions made by the JCCEA under the leadership of the successive presidents since its founding to the development of China-Japan friendly relations， particularly the cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Liu Deyou said， both the Chinese and Japanese friendly personages should carry forward and enhance the fine tradition of China-Japan friendship initiated by the older generations and in the spirit of “using history as a mirror and looking to the future” further deepen exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the cultural field， and redouble their efforts to treasure， maintain and develop the hard-won China-Japan friendly relations under the new situation in the new era. Liu stressed， as China and Japan are different in their social systems， cultural backgrounds， ways of thinking and values， it is all the more necessary for the two countries to attach importance to the cultural exchanges so as to enhance mutual understanding and trust. Under the current situation， it is even more important to persist in the principles set in the three political documents signed between the two countries and develop people-to-people friendly exchanges. Liu said， the relationship between China and Japan is just like the moon. Though sometimes it is covered by dark clouds， its beauty will eventually appear. Liu’s vivid and ebullient won warm applause.

Yohei Kono， speaker of the House Representatives， spoke on behalf of the Japanese side. He said， friendly exchanges between Japan and China have a long history. He hoped that the year 2007， which marks the 1，400th anniversary of Japan sending envoys to China， would be a year to promote the development of Japan-China friendly relations. He expressed his belief that despite the current setback of Japan-China relations， with the concerted efforts of the governments and the people of the two countries， the current difficulties will surely be overcome.

Extensive Contacts with Personages of Various Circles

Cultural exchanges play an irreplaceable role in the friendly relations between the people of the two countries. Particularly under the current situation， cultural exchanges are becoming more important. The purpose of the delegation’s visit to Japan was to increase trust while removing doubts so as to enhance mutual understanding and trust between the two peoples. During its stay in Japan， the delegation called on Atsuko Tooyama，former minister of education and science and director-general of New National Theatre in Tokyo; Kazuo Okura，director-general of the Japan Foundation; Masahiro Futahashi，deputy chief of the Cabinet Secretariat; Satoshi Iwamura， vice minister of Land， Infrastructure and Transport;

Nobuo Ishihara，former deputy chief of the Cabinet Secretariat， Naoko Ito，president of the Shitsuke; Chiyo Hanayagi， Japanese dancer; Keita Asari，art director of the Shiki Theatre Company; and Kabuki performer Shikan Nakamura. It also paid visits to the Nigensya and the NHK，the Yasushi Inoue Museum and the Wataru Masuda Memorial Hall. Liu Deyou， head of the delegation， expressed in various ways the wish of making joint efforts with the Japanese side to strengthen friendly exchanges between the two peoples.