First 2015 Batch of Japanese University Students Visits China

nvited by the CPAFFC， a 98-member delegation of Japanese University Students headed by Kiichiro Onodera， Executive Director of the Japan-China Friendship Association （JCFA）， paid a visit to Nanjing， Suzhou， Shanghai and Beijing from May 14 to 20， taking part in the activity marking the 20th anniversary of the launching of the project for restoration of the old Nanjing city wall， and had exchanges with Chinese university students.

The delegation was broadly representative with its members coming from 39 colleges and universities in 21 metropolises and prefectures of Japan. About half of them were visiting China for the first time.

Participating in the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the China-Japan joint project of rebuilding the old Nanjing city wall to remember history， carry forward friendship and look into the future.

The visit was scheduled in close coordination with the activity marking the 20th anniversary of rebuilding the old city wall of Nanjing. The purpose of the project was to heal the psychological trauma caused by war and arouse people’s aspiration for China-Japan friendship and world peace through the joint efforts of the two countries to rebuild war-destroyed cultural relics. At the commemorative meeting on May 15， CPAFFC Vice President Lin Yi said that “to review the past， create the future， remember history and never wage war again” was the common aspiration of the people of the two countries. She encouraged the youth of both sides to review history to ensure that peace and friendship became deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples， especially the young， so that they would involve themselves in the cause of China-Japan friendship with unremitting efforts to realize the goal of peaceful coexistence， mutually beneficial cooperation， common development and lasting friendship.

Through the activity， members of the delegation came to know about the unusual history of rebuilding the old city wall of Nanjing， experienced the fine tradition of friendship between the people of the two countries and realized the importance and urgency of improving bilateral relations. University students of the two countries said it would be a starting point to learn from history， carry forward friendship and work together to create a better future for both countries.

Exchanges with Chinese universities have enhanced understanding and friendship between the youth of the two countries. The delegation visited three famous local universities， namely Nanjing University， Southeast University and Soochow University. Through discussions on special topics， cultural and art performances and one-to-one interaction， deep friendships were forged. The exchange activities were carefully designed to present a full picture of Chinese students’ campus life and their desire for mutual learning and friendship. Members of the Japanese delegation said they would never forget the Chinese peers they had met. These exchanges helped remove the prejudice against and misunderstanding about China they had formed through media， and reap a precious friendship.

They would share what they had seen and heard during the visit with their relatives and friends after returning home and hoped they would become a bridge of friendship between the two countries in future.

Interviewed by several central and local media including CCTV， the People’s Daily Online， China Radio International and the Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation， the Japanese students talked about what they thought and understood about Japan-China relations， shared touching stories of their personal contacts with Chinese people and expressed their firm belief in friendship between the two countries.

When asked about their impressions of the visit， Tomomitsu Takai， a student at Okayama University， said he had come to understand the importance of knowing about history and communication between the youth of the two countries. Kaito Murata， a student from Kansai University， said， what had impressed him most was that the Chinese people he saw were completely different from what he had seen on Japanese TV， and he also found that students of the two countries were very much alike. Chieko Hara， a student of Saga University who had studied in China for a year， said she had once again experienced the friendliness of the Chinese people and had grown fonder of China. Tsukasa Nono， a junior from Ritsumeikan University who used after-school hours to organize student exchanges between Japan and China， said that， on the flight to Beijing， they had experienced much turbulence. A student got so frightened that she kept trembling. At this moment， a Chinese woman passenger sitting next to her reached out and held the student’s hand， comforting her in Chinese “Don’t worry. It’s Ok.” He felt the friendliness and warmth of the Chinese people from this gesture.

Japanese students said that through the visit， they had not only come to understand the importance of looking squarely at history and the urgency for improving Japan-China relations， but also seen a real and objective China and formed deep friendship with their Chinese peers.

They pledged that， in future， they would contribute their bit to the cause of Japan-China friendship.