CPAFFC and CJFA Are Practitioners of People—to—People Friendly Exchanges

The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries （CPAFFC） once had another name—the Chinese People’s Associa- tion for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries （CPACRFC）， which is memorable for me.

In 1958， my father Kinkazu Saionji moved the whole family to Beijing and we lived in the compound of the Chinese People’s Committee for World Peace （CPCWP） that people used to call Heda. It is now the seat of the CPAFFC. In May 2014 the organization will usher in an important event—the 60th anniversary of its establishment.

During our stay in Beijing， the CPCWP took good care of us. In 1963， initiated by 19 people’s organizations including the CPCWP and the CPACRFC， the China-Japan Friendship Association （CJFA） was founded. Last year， therefore， it celebrated its own 50th anniversary.

The histories of the twin bodies are an epitome of China’s vigorous people-to-people friendly exchanges with other countries including Japan. In this regard， one person must be mentioned—Premier Zhou Enlai.

Premier Zhou was a leader much loved by the Chinese people and he gave them much through his work to promote China’s external relations.

One day in 1958， our family was invited to the Xihua Hall of Zhongnanhai， Premier Zhou’s residence and office， to attend a reception to mark our move to Beijing. The Premier’s wife， Deng Yingchao， was also present. To this day， I can still remember clearly the scene. That day， Premier Zhou offered me three key points. Firstly， “you should make more Chinese friends. They are not only your friends； they are the precious treasures of both China and Japan.” Secondly， “Since from now on， you will live in China and have all kinds of experiences and see and hear many things. China has both good and bad sides， and both advanced and backward sides. When you see the bad and backward side， I hope you will point it out frankly. It won’t matter if you criticize. I do not like to hear just fine words.”

As at that time I was only a middle school student， I could not fully understand the profound meaning of the third point， however. He said： “China hopes to normalize relations with Japan， a decision we have made in the early 1950s. The normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations faces two major problems. One is Japan’s response to the idea； the other concerns the feelings of the Chinese people.” When I gradually got to know more about mundane affairs， I came to understand the important meaning of what he said.

In the early 1950s， the Chinese Government decided to normalize its relations with Japan and made great efforts for it. After the Second World War， a great number of Japanese nationals stayed on in China. In order to help them return home， the Chinese Government， out of humanitarianism， offered them all kinds of assistance and convenience. It released all the Japanese war criminals and prisoners of war and assisted their repatriation. This was a clear signal to Japan.

Besides， under Premier Zhou’s instruction， the Chinese Consul General in Geneva twice handed letters to his Japanese counterpart there， appealing the Japanese Government for negotiations on normalization of diplomatic relations.

I also remember what Premier Zhou once said. “We have had in- depth discussions on how to thaw the Chinese people’s resentful and hostile feelings towards Japan. We should educate the Chinese people to distinguish between a handful of militarists and ordinary Japanese people.”

The Chinese Government worked hard to inculcate this thought in the Chinese people for a long time. During my 10-year stay in Beijing， when I was at school or walking in the streets， or even when I did manual labor in the countryside， I was never insulted， embarrassed or discriminated against， because I was a Japanese.

However， regrettably， the then Japanese Government completely ignored China’s goodwill. Moreover， in 1957 after Prime Minister Tanzan Ishibashi retired due to illness， Prime Minister Nobusuki Kishi came into power and adopted an undisguised anti-China policy， and brazenly supported the Kuomintang regime that had fled to Taiwan after defeat in its attempt to “counterattack on the mainland”.

In 1958 two incidents happened， i.e. Liu Lianren incident and Nagasaki incident in which Japanese ruffians tore up the Chinese national flag. In 1960 the Japanese Government amended and extended the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty to further escalate the anti-China trend.

Under such circumstances， the Chinese Government began to study a changed strategy—namely， from trying to have direct negotiation with the Japanese Government to promoting Sino-Japanese relations in an orderly and gradual manner based on extensive people-to-people exchanges.

Consequently， “promoting official ties through people-to-people contacts” became the mainstream in development of the bilateral relationship. Since the 1960s， China-Japan people-to-people exchanges have developed well. Despite twists and turns， the cause of friendship has become an irresistible trend of the times.

In my understanding， “promoting official ties through people-to-people contacts” is a distinguishing feature of the development of the post-war China-Japan relations. It is known to all that the CPAFFC has always been at the forefront of nongovernmental diplomacy， carrying forward the fine tradition and playing an important role in normalization of diplomatic relations and continuous development of ties.

Recalling the days I spent in the CPAFFC compound， the voice and faces of many people who worked for the great cause seem to appear before my eyes， such as Zhou Enlai， Deng Xiaoping， Chen Yi， Li Xiannian， Xi Zhongxun， Guo Moruo， Liao Chengzhi， Wang Zhen， Wang Bingnan， Xia Yan， Zhang Xiangshan， Sun Pinghua， Zhao Anbo， Xiao Xiangqian， Wang Xiaoyun， Jin Sucheng and Huang Shiming， etc. In this compound， however， there are also many staffers working conscientiously for the cause of nongovernmental diplomacy in obscurity.

Also in Japan， many people are working hard for safeguarding and developing Japan-China relations. Inejiro Asanuma， a statesman who had advocated Japan-China friendship even gave his life for it.

The cause of Japan-China friendship brought on by forerunners of both countries through many years’ painstaking efforts is still developing. But， recently there is an adverse current in Japan， and some people vainly attempt to challenge the post-war international order and destroy the basis of the bilateral relations carefully laid down by the older generations of the two countries.

We will never allow it to happen. We should make concerted efforts， carry forward the behests of our predecessors， continue to carry out people-to-people exchanges， and jointly safeguard the friendly relations between our two countries.