60th Anniversary of Repatriation of Over One Million Japanese Emigrants from Huludao and Forum on Ch

Activities marking the 60th anniversary of the repatriation of over one million Japanese wartime emigrants from Huludao and the Forum on China-Japan Relations， sponsored by the CPAFFC and the Liaoning Provincial People’s Government and organized by the Huludao City Government， were held in Huludao on June 25.

State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan Attends and Speaks at the Opening Ceremony

State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech entitled “Taking History as a Mirror and Facing Forward to the Future， Promoting Lasting China-Japan Friendship”. Zhang Wenyue， governor of Liaoning Province， Chen Jinyu， deputy secretary general of the State Council， Chen Haosu， president of the CPAFFC， Wu Dawei， vice foreign minister， Qian Xiaoqian， deputy director of the Information Office of the State Council， Jing Dunquan， vice president of the China-Japan Friendship Association， andformer Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama， among nearly 400 Chinese and Japanese representatives， were present.

In his speech， State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan said， 60 years ago， the World Anti-fascist War ended and the Chinese people won the great victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Immediately after the war， the Chinese people， suffering the huge pains and sacrifices inflicted by the aggression of Japanese militarism on the Chinese nation， experiencing the heavy pressure of rebuilding their home and overcoming numerous difficulties， helped over one million Japanese emigrants return to Japan right from here. This historic repatriation makes Huludao， an unheard-of fishing port， the “posthouse of life” for those Japanese emigrants after the war. Today， people from all sectors of the Chinese and Japanese societies gather together to review the history and look into the future， demonstrating our determination and faith to face history， oppose aggression， cherish peace and promote the friendship for generations to come between the Chinese and Japanese people. It is of far-reaching historical and realistic significance.

Tang Jiaxuan said， the Chinese people are great people， so is the Chinese nation. The historic repatriation of Japanese emigrants fully reflects the broad mind and lofty humanitarianism of the Chinese people and the moral character of magnanimity of the Chinese nation. The brutal invasion of Japanese militarists plunged China into an unprecedented national disaster. During those dark years， the Japanese militarists spread the fire of war over more than half of the Chinese territory， leading to the casualties of over 35 million of Chinese soldiers and civilians and more than US$100 billion of direct economic losses. The Chinese people made huge national sacrifices. While resolutely resisting the Japanese militarist aggression， the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people always believe that an extremely few number of Japanese militarists should take the blame for the aggressive war and the innocent Japanese people are also victims of the war. From Chairman Mao Zedong generations of Chinese leaders have been adhering to this differential policy and committed to maintaining and developing the traditional friendship between the two peoples which has lasted over more than 20 centuries. These are not just words， but what we actually do. In those war-ridden years， we did not vent our resentment on the ordinary Japanese people. Marshal Nie Rongzhen adopted and brought up a Japanese girl Mihoko from the battlefield， leaving a well-known touching story. A Chinese mother who suffered the huge grief that her home was destroyed and son was killed reared a Japanese baby and sent back the baby to Japan after the war. After the war ended， the Chinese people， instead of harbouring any hatred， tried their best to help the Japanese emigrants return home. Their grief and sacrifice are beyond any word. After the founding of the People's Republic of China， the Chinese government and people released the war criminals ahead of schedule and brought up several thousands of Japanese war orphans. Under the specific historical background， all those stories seemed common but are actually great， implying the Chinese people's ardent hope for peace， sincerity towards the Japanese people and eager aspiration for the friendship between the Chinese and Japanese people from generation to generation. “Past experience， if not forgotten， is a guide for the future.” The Chinese government and people always firmly believe that we are not able to change the historical tragedy but must be responsible for the future， learn expensive lessons from history， never allow the historical tragedy to happen again and create a beautiful tomorrow for our children.

Tang Jiaxuan said， the Chinese government always attaches importance to China-Japan relations and adheres to the principle of China-Japan friendliness. Over years our predecessors have made relentless efforts to end the hostility and renew the traditional friendly relations between our two countries. Under extremely difficult conditions， the Chinese government and people strived hard to conduct friendly exchanges between the two countries in various forms and through different channels. The far-sighted and friendly personages from all sectors of the Japanese society also made painstaking efforts to resume the China-Japan good-neighbourly friendship. With the utmost efforts of both sides， our two countries ultimately issued the joint statement in 1972 and realized the normalization of diplomatic ties， opening a new page in the history of bilateral relations.

Tang Jiaxuan said， we are delighted to see that over the more than 30 years since the normalization of diplomatic ties， with the joint efforts of generations of leaders and the people of the two countries China-Japan friendship and cooperation have gained long-term progress and exchanges and cooperation in all fields reached unprecedented width and depth. The China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed in 1978 and the China-Japan Joint Declaration issued in 1998 laid down a solid political and legal foundation for the development of bilateral relations. Our two governments have signed a number of agreements， established various forms of bilateral and multilateral cooperative mechanism and greatly pushed forward the bilateral pragmatic cooperation in a wide range of fields. The bilateral trade volume has increased from US$1.1 billion at the time of resuming diplomatic ties to over US$180 billion last year， and the direct investment of Japanese companies in China has accumulated to over US$53 billion. There are 228 pairs of friendship cities between our two countries and each year the exchange of visits exceeds 4.5 million person times. The advance of China-Japan relations not only brings about huge benefit to the two peoples but also makes great contribution to peace， stability and development in Asia， the Pacific and the world at large. China-Japan relationship has become one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world.

Tang Jiaxuan said， China-Japan friendship in the new period is indeed hard won， embodies the painstaking efforts of the older generation of leaders and far-sighted personages of our two countries， carries the common aspiration of several generations of people in the two countries and deserves to be cherished. Mr. Tomiichi Murayama who is also present today delivered the well-known “Murayama Statement” on the historical issue of Japanese militarist aggression as Japanese Prime Minister on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. On behalf of the Japanese government， he made deep self-reflection on and apology for the invasive war and colonial rule of Japan and proposed rebuilding the mutual understanding and trust between Japan and its neighbouring Asian countries. If faithfully implemented， the important statement will not only help Japan and China “take history as a mirror and face forward to the future” but also be beneficial to the development of lasting friendship and cooperation between Japan and its Asian neighbors.

Tang Jiaxuan said， President Hu Jintao once pointed out， “we review history to obtain wisdom and inspiration so as to grasp our life today and our direction in future.” In recent years， China-Japan relations have encountered serious political obstacles which not only restrain the progress of bilateral ties but also exert negative impact on regional peace， stability and development. Such a situation is neither the Chinese government and people， and I believe， nor the Japanese people and far-sighted personages expect to see. We hope the Japanese leaders will make correct decisions in a highly responsible attitude towards history， the people and future， eradicate the political obstacles faced by bilateral relations and bring back the bilateral ties to the healthy development track. It complies with the fundamental interests of the two peoples and represents the common expectation of the international community as well.

Tang said， to push for the healthy and steady progress of China-Japan relations requires unswervingly maintaining the direction of China-Japan friendship. China and Japan are close to each other geographically and enjoy similar cultural background. Our more than 2，000 years of friendly exchanges have forged profound friendship between the two peoples. Taking into consideration the fundamental interests of the Chinese and Japanese people and to maintain world peace and promote common development， the Chinese government adheres to the principle of “peaceful coexistence， generational friendship， mutually beneficial cooperation and common development”， attaches great importance to China-Japan relations and has made unremitting efforts to improve and advance bilateral relations. We hope that the Japanese side can also look at China-Japan relations from a strategic and long-term perspective， make joint efforts with China and take tangible actions.

Tang said， to push for the healthy and stable progress of China-Japan relations requires unswervingly maintaining the political foundation of bilateral relations. To treat history correctly and solve the Taiwan question properly were the two core topics of the negotiations on the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties. Properly handling those two issues laid down the basic political foundation for China and Japan to develop the friendly and cooperative relations oriented towards the future. Such a foundation shall never be changed. Practice has shown that China-Japan relations will go ahead steadily once this political foundation is maintained; otherwise the relations will be undermined， become stagnant or even retrogress. We hope that both China and Japan can faithfully honour their respective commitments made in the three important China-Japan political documents and build an even brighter future for bilateral relations in the spirit of “taking history as a mirror and facing forward to the future”.

Tang said， to push for the healthy and stable progress of China-Japan relations requires actively promoting the mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields. Peace， development and cooperation have become the voice of people all over the world and economic globalization and regional integration are moving forward steadily， which have created new historical opportunities and huge potential for China and Japan to push forward friendly and cooperative relations. To maintain world peace and prosperity and promote Asia's rejuvenation and development are unshirkable responsibility of both China and Japan， the two countries with great influence in Asia and the world， and comply with their strategic interests. China resolutely follows the road of peaceful development， is committed to building a harmonious world with lasting peace and common prosperity and pursues the policy of “being a good neighbour and partner”. China's development will not pose threat to any country. We hope that China and Japan can become partners committed to peace and development， rejuvenation of Asia and progress of mankind.

Tang expressed， to develop the good-neighbourly friendship and cooperative relations between China and Japan is both the trend of the times and the common aspiration of people of the two countries. The common development and prosperity of China and Japan benefit not only our two peoples but also Asia and the entire world. We are full of confidence in the bright prospect of China-Japan relations. The Chinese and Japanese people must and will surely be able to pass our friendship from generation to generation!

Former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama said in his address at the opening ceremony， taking part in the activities marking the 60th anniversary of the repatriation of Japanese emigrants from Huludao and recalling the scenes of those years， all sorts of feelings well up in me. 60 years ago， starting May 1946， the following year of Japan’s defeat in the war， the broad-minded Chinese people repatriated their enemy nation’s emigrants who still remained in China’s Northeast from Huludao port back to Japan that had inflicted great suffering to China， whose troops had trampled Huludao during its invasion and given the port heavy losses. The people in Huludao， still recovering from the wound of the war， took great care of the emigrants from the enemy nation and tried their best to help them return home. The repatriation showed the munificence and humanitarianism of the Chinese people， so quite a few Japanese are deeply grateful for the repatriation and moved by the profound friendship of the Chinese people.

Murayama said， as witnesses and participants we know how great the sufferings the war had brought to the people and how difficult it is to heal the wound. We must pledge not to go to war again and have a deep understanding of the meaning of “Past experience， if not forgotten， is a guide for the future”.

Murayama said， as prime minister I made a statement on August 15， 1995， the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. In this statement I reviewed Japan’s past and expressed the direction for Japan’s future development. Murayama quoted from “The Statement by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama”: “During a certain period in the not too distant past， Japan， following a mistaken national policy， advanced along the road to war， only to ensnare the Japanese people in a fateful crisis， and， through its colonial rule and aggression， caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries， particularly to those of Asian nations.” “In the hope that no such mistake be made in the future， I regard， in a spirit of humility， these irrefutable facts of history， and express here once again my feelings of deep remorse and state my heartfelt apology. Allow me also to express my feelings of profound mourning for all victims， both at home and abroad， of that history.” “Building from our deep remorse on this occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of the war， Japan must eliminate self-righteous nationalism， promote international coordination as a responsible member of the international community and， thereby， advance the principles of peace and democracy.”

Murayama continued， although the Japanese government has repeated its remorse over the past 10 years， it is more important to act on the words and let people of the other countries understand. Murayama expressed his worry about the current “cold political， but warm economic” Japan-China relations and hoped that the Japanese government would carefully handle relations with China， a country separated from Japan only by a strip of water as well as its relations with other Asian neighbours. Strengthening mutual understanding between Japan and China and building a friendly， cooperative and harmonious bilateral relationship will have indispensable influence not only on the two countries， but also on the peace， stability and prosperity of Asia.

Murayama said in the end， we the Japanese people once again express our heartfelt thanks for the humanitarianism the Chinese people demonstrated 60 years ago. At the same time， we firmly believe that Huludao as a historic symbol of Japan-China friendship will always serve as a bridge of friendship between our two peoples.

CPAFFC President Chen Haosu presided over the opening ceremony， at which Zhang Wenyue， governor of Liaoning， and Chen Xiaokun， secretary of the Huludao City Committee of the Communist Party of China， spoke.

Forum on China-Japan Relations

After the opening ceremony， Chen Haosu， president of the CPAFFC， Sun Zhaolin， mayor of Huludao， Kyuhei Muraoka， director general of the Japan-China Friendship Association， Shigemitsu Tsumura， mayor of Miyazaki， as well as experts and scholars and representatives of the repatriated emigrants， spoke at the forum.

CPAFFC President Chen Haosu said， 60 years ago the Chinese people， who had suffered greatly from the war and when the country was still in a state of devastation， out of humanitarianism sent by batches 1.05 million Japanese emigrants back to Japan from Huludao port. This fully shows the virtues of the Chinese nation to treat their neighbours kindly， treasure friendship and love peace. We are gathered here today to recall that period of history with the aim of drawing lessons from it so as to prevent the historical tragedy from repetition and wish lasting peace and friendship between China and Japan.

After reviewing the development of postwar Sino-Japanese relations， Chen Haosu said， Sino-Japanese friendship is hard won and we should cherish it dearly. President Hu Jintao made an important speech on the improvement and development of China-Japan relations in March this year when meeting with leaders of seven Japan-China friendship organizations. He pointed out that the Chinese government takes Sino-Japanese relations as one of the important bilateral relations in today’s world， always looks at the relations from a strategic and long-term perspective and has made unremitting efforts towards improving and developing the bilateral ties. President Hu emphasized that the problems of China-Japan relations should be handled properly with an attitude of being highly responsible for the history， the people and the future， pointing out a practical and feasible way for the current bilateral ties to get out of difficulty.

Chen Haosu said， at present when Sino-Japanese political relations are faced with difficulties， personages of all social circles of the two countries should carry forward the fine tradition， actively promote bilateral contacts and cooperation in wide fields and vigorously conduct exchanges in various forms to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the people， especially the youth of our two countries.

In his speech JCFA Director General Kyuhei Muraoka said， there exists over 2，000 years of contact between Japan and China. The two countries have enjoyed good ties in most of these years up to now. We are proud of the history of friendly contact， but we should never forget the unfortunate period of the history. In modern times the aggressive act committed by the Japanese militarists on the vast land of China inflicted tremendous losses on the Chinese people. We should never for a moment forget this historical fact. Today when we stand on this soil， recalling the scenes of the Chinese people in the spirit of universal fraternity helping the Japanese emigrants return home， we have gained a deeper understanding of the event.

Muraoka said， the main reason for the current chilly bilateral relations lies in Prime Minister Koizumi’s repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. Therefore， the JCFA adopted a resolution on the question of the Yasukuni Shrine at its regular national meeting held not long ago， asking the Japanese prime minister to stop paying homage to the Yasukuni Shrine during his tenure of office from the standpoint of attaching importance to the relations between Japan and the People’s Republic of China and taking into consideration the smooth development of this relationship. The resolution has been sent to Prime Minister Koizumi. The voice of the Japanese people and media opposing the prime minister’s paying homage to the Shrine is also upsurging.

Muraoka said， the activity held in Huludao today gives us an opportunity to look squarely at the past， and learn and understand history correctly， which is of far-reaching significance. Upon returning home we will publicize this humanitarian undertaking to more Japanese people， especially the younger generation so that it will serve as teaching material for correctly understanding history.

In their speeches Kashio Hokari and Yuko Kunihiro who were among those repatriated expressed time and again their sincere gratitude to the Chinese people for giving them a helping hand. They expressed the hope for lasting peace and friendship between Japan and China and their willingness to work for it. Yuko Kunihiro said， though the national conditions and languages of our countries are different， we have learned one thing from the repatriation， that is， peace can be maintained as long as we earnestly try to care for and understand the other side. It is only 60 years since the repatriation took place， but many people have already forgotten this period of history. Limited as my ability is， I would like， together with all present here， to take this activity as an opportunity to pass on this period of history to the next generation.

Sun Zhaolin， mayor of Huludao， and scholars who had made special study of the history of Huludao repatriation recalled the historical facts of the repatriation in their speeches. They pointed out， the repatriation is an evidence of Japanese aggression against China and proves that the aggressive war launched by the Japanese militarists brought great disasters to the Chinese people while the Japanese people were also victims of the war. The repatriation is an humanitarian act of the Chinese nation， demonstrating the broad mind of the Chinese people.

A Huludao Peace Declaration was issued after the speeches at the forum.

The foundation-laying ceremony of the Huludao Peace Park was held in the afternoon of the same day. State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan， former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and representatives of both Chinese and Japanese sides cut the ribbon and earthed up the foundation stone. Together they planted trees of peace and friendship in the park.

Related links: Repatriation of Japanese Emigrants from the Port of Huludao

Japan declared its defeat in the war and surrendered on August 15， 1945. The allied countries including China， the United States and the Soviet Union that fought against the Japanese fascists together and won final victory soon put the repatriation of Japanese wartime emigrants and prisoners of war on the agenda. On September 29， China and the U. S. convened a joint staff meeting in Chongqing， at which a memorandum was adopted and sent to the Army General Headquarters of China， asking it to draw a plan for the repatriation of Japanese emigrants and POWs as soon as possible. On October 25， China and the U. S. held the first meeting on repatriation in Shanghai. It was decided that Japanese emigrants and POWs in all theatres should be repatriated. The repatriation of them in the China Theatre should proceed in the order of those inside Shanhaiguan first and those in the Northeast next. The Chinese side was responsible for the road transportation to port while the US side providing transportation by sea. On January 10， 1946， the Committee of Three consisting of Zhou Enlai， representative of the Communist Party of China， Zhang Qun， representative of Kuomintang， and George C. Marshall， representative of the United States， decided to set up a Group of Three of the Peiping Executive Headquarters in charge of the overall planning of the repatriation of Japanese emigrants and POWs in the Northeast. The repatriation would be carried out by the Northeast Headquarters of Kuomintang and the Northeast Democratic Allied Army. Except those in Andong and Dalian who would be repatriated by the Northeast Democratic Allied Army and the Soviet Army directly， the rest of the Japanese emigrants and POWs in the Northeast would be repatriated from the Port of Huludao.

On May 7， 1946， two ships with 2，489 Japanese emigrants on board left Huludao Port， marking the beginning of the repatriation. By December 31 of that year， all together 158 batches with a total of 1，017，549 Japanese nationals (of which 16，607 were POWs) returned to Japan from Huludao. In 1947 and 1948， another 33，498 Japanese emigrants working in the Kuomintang controlled areas were repatriated. Thus， the total number of the Japanese repatriated from Huludao in the three years reached 1，051，047.