Working for Peace, Friendship Between China and Japan and Common Development

Editor’s Note: At the invitation of the CPAFFC and the China International Friendship Cities Association (CIFCA)， Katsuhito Asano， former Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary， visited Beijing from September 29 to October 2， 2009 to attend celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin held talks with him on Sino-Japanese people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. During his stay in Beijing， he was interviewed by the reporter of the magazine Friendship Cities. Asano is now a Dietman and Director of the Personnel Bureau of the Liberal Democratic Party. The following is an excerpt of the interview:

Question: When visiting the exhibition on the achievements of New China to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC， you said that you had met all the Chinese leaders of several generations and had contacts with some of them. Who has impressed you most?

Answer: When I was a reporter with the Japanese NHK TV Station in the 1970s， I met Zhou Enlai， DengXiaoping， Liao Chengzhi， and Huang Hua. After I entered politics， I met Jiang Zemin， Hu Jintao and other Chinese leaders. What I feel most proud of is that I am the only living member of the Japanese Diet to have met Zhou Enlai. I met him when I came with Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira to report on his first visit to China in the 1970s. Premier Zhou was a very great man. He was able to gain an insight into both macroscopic history and the microscopic subtleness of man’s mind. He was gentle and cultivated and had elegant manners. In him there was a spirit of perseverance and unique charm. His appealing and encouraging words inspired me greatly and I was determined to work for the development of friendly relations between Japan and China. In the hearts of the Japanese people， Premier Zhou is very great. The Japanese people will never forget his great kindness.

When I worked as a correspondent， I reported on the signing of the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement and the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship and witnessed the history of resumption and normalization of Japan-China relations. After entering politics， I have been doing what I can for the development of exchanges and cooperation between the two countries no matter whether in or out of political office. During the 2005 Nagoya World Expo， I assisted the construction of the Chinese pavilion. I support Shanghai’s effort to hold the 2010 World Expo. When I served as Parliamentary Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time of the 35th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China diplomatic relations， I helped the NHK TV Station film a TV special on Nanjing and organized a Japanese chorus to give performance there. Recently， I helped the NHK produce and show a TV series about the story of how the Chinese people helped and brought up Japanese war orphans. The series educates the Japanese people to oppose war and love peace forever and praises the Chinese people’s great humanitarian spirit. I hope this series will have free access in China. Now， I am using my own influence to promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between Japanese and Chinese small cities.

Q: Mr. Asano， you are an old friend of the CPAFFC and the CIFCA and have visited China many times. This time， as a personage friendly to China， you were invited to attend the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China. Compared to your previous visits， do you have any different feeling about your current visit?

A: I have visited China more than 10 times and been to a number of Chinese cities. Every time I visit China， I have new experience. This time I am particularly excited and feel highly honored to be invited to attend the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China and witness， together with the Chinese people， this glorious and unforgettable moment. Sixty is a lucky number. New China， having traversed a glorious 60 years， occupies a pivotal position in the present world. I am sure that in the next 60 years it will certainly become a country playing a leading role in the world. I was deeply moved and amazed after visiting the exhibition on the achievements of New China in the past six decades. The Chinese people are really great. China has made tremendous achievements in its rapidly growing economy.

Q: You have visited China many times in the capacity of correspondent and statesman. What changes do you think have happened to China’s image?

A: When I was in Beijing in 1972， along the whole Chang’an Avenue there were only two hotels—the Nationalities Hotel and the Beijing Hotel—both with rather obsolete facilities. At that time， there were no direct flights between Japan and China. Accompanying Foreign Minister Masayoshi Ohira， we had to first fly to Hong Kong， then went to Shenzhen and Guangzhou by car and finally flew from there to Beijing. At that time， Shenzhen was a small fishing village. The highest buildings there were two-storey houses. The speed of construction and development of many Chinese cities and their tremendous changes over the past more than 30 years are amazing. The Chinese leaders are committed to reform and opening up and developing economy and have led the Chinese people to turn China into an economic power that attracts worldwide attention. The facts of China’s reform and opening up tell the world that with the concerted efforts of the Chinese Communist Party， government and people， the Chinese people have been working hard for the prosperity of the country. Now， China， with a brand-new image， stands up in the world.

Q: What do you think China should learn from Japan’s path of development?

A: After Japan’s defeat in World War II， the Japanese people went all out to make the country strong. Though living a very hard life， everyone worked very hard for a common goal of turning Japan into a world power. But， nowadays， Japanese young people seem to lack a spirit of hard work and dedication to society. Looking at the current development of China and Japan， Japan can be compared to a person who has begun to go downhill after having climbed to the top of the mountain. The Japanese don’t have much sense of crisis， thinking they can live quite well without working hard. China is going uphill in its development， climbing one peak after another. China can learn from Japan’s experience in development. In my view， it is man’s nature to seek material wealth， an affluent life and good food and clothes， but we should let the people know that all these things are hard-earned. Public opinion should guide the thought of the people and let them understand it， and educate the people to work hard and place the interest of the state above that of individuals. Only when the country becomes strong， can people lead a happy life. No country， no people’s happiness.

Q: What is your view on the development trend of China-Japan relations?

A: The Japanese Government thinks that Japan-China relations and Japan-United States relations are both very important. Because Japan and China are neighboring countries， their relations are more important. From the perspective of the development trend of the global international relations， China， Japan， the United States and the EU， the four poles of the world， are playing very important roles in the world. In terms of geography， Japan and China are close neighbors separated only by a narrow strip of water. In terms of economic relations， the two countries are inseparable and their economic cooperation and exchanges are mutually beneficial. During his visit to Japan in 2007， Premier Wen said that China and Japan will both gain from peaceful coexistence and lose much from any conflicts. In my view， it is easy for Japan and China to become enemies， but very difficult to become friends. If the two countries become enemies， both will lose. If the two countries become friends， both will win.

We should treasure the hard-won current mutually beneficial friendly relations between the two countries. At present， to make a steady and friendly development of Japan-China relations and carry out mutually beneficial economic cooperation have become an irresistible historical trend. Under the new historical conditions， the two countries are able to share increasing common interests but faced with important issues that need to be commonly addressed. Japan and China with strong economic complementarities have great potential and bright prospects in cooperation. The two countries should strengthen cooperation in the fields of energy， environmental protection， finance， high and new science and technology， information and communication and intellectual property rights. Japan-China relations will march towards a new historical stage of development featuring mutual benefits and all-win.

Q: In recent years， in the China-Japan relations there have been some focal issues such as the Japanese new history book that beautifies Japan’s aggression against China， the issue of the Diaoyu Islands， Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine， etc. What is your view on these issues?

A: In history， Japan did wrong to China. Its war of aggression against China caused untold sufferings and psychic trauma to the Chinese people， and also brought huge sufferings and pain to the Japanese people. The Japanese government and leaders have expressed their attitudes towards this history many times and openly admitted the aggression and expressed deep remorse and apology to the victim countries. We should take history as a mirror and face the future. Just as Premier Wen said， peace and friendship between China and Japan concern the fate of the two countries and well-being of the two peoples. We deem that history is always history. People living in the modern times should not distort history and pass on wrong information to the next generation. We should accurately explain the history to the next generation and let them judge it by themselves. The editors of history books could put a country’s and government’s view in their books， but should not distort history.

Yasukuni Shrine is where the Japanese worship gods. This is a Japanese national custom. The memorial tablets of some of my deceased relatives are also placed there. But some Japanese politicians， taking advantage of our national customs， have placed the memorial tablets of war criminals in it， greatly hurting Asian people’s feelings. We oppose it. No Prime Minister after Junichiro Koizumi has visited the Shrine.

Q: What impact will the change of the Japanese administration have on China-Japan relations?

A: The new administration is committed to the reform of domestic policies. In terms of foreign affairs， it will keep the continuity of the Japanese diplomacy and follow the current foreign policies. Therefore， the Japan-China relations will surely become even better. The new Japanese Prime Minister attaches great importance to China， and the new administration will not change Japan’s policy towards China. During the transition process， the new administration is pledged to do better. Japan will expand exchanges and cooperation with China and strive for peaceful coexistence， lasting friendship， mutually beneficial cooperation and common development between the two countries.

Q: As director of the Personnel Bureau of the Liberal Democratic Party， what ideas do you have on political party building?

A: At present， Japan is undergoing a regime change from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to the Democratic Party. The end of the history of the LDP holding power almost uninterruptedly for 50 years and the formation of a new administration by the Democratic Party is a lesson to the LDP. Political party building is a very important issue. We will seriously review the cause of our electoral defeat. I believe that， before long， the LDP will return to the center of the political stage.