20th Anniversary of Sino—Japanese Joint Project ofRebuilding Old Nanjing City Wall Marked

On the morning of May 15， a commemorative meeting marking the 20th anniversary of the launching of the China-Japan cooperative project of rebuilding the old city wall of Nanjing was held to “remember history， safeguard peace， enhance friendship and jointly create a better future”.

It was jointly sponsored by the CPAFFC， the China-Japan Friendship Association （CJFA）， the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries （JPPAFFC） and the Japan-China Friendship Association （JCFA） of Japan. CPAFFC Vice President Lin Yi， JPPAFFC President Wu Xijun， Nanjing Vice Mayor Chu Yonghong， and JCFA Vice President Tetsuo Sakai delivered speeches.

Over 400 people， including delegations of JCFA Headquarters and local branches， friendly personages and representatives of various circles of both countries， university students in Nanjing， and about 100 Japanese university students were present at the meeting， which also marked the 70th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

It was 20 years ago that Ikuo Hirayama， then JCFA President， together with the Chinese side initiated the pro-ject of rebuilding the old city wall of Nanjing — partly destroyed by Japanese invaders in 1937-8 — with the aims of preserving and restoring cultural relics and historical sites， healing the wounds of war and aspiring for lasting peace.

In her speech， Lin Yi expressed thanks to personages of various circles for their long-term painstaking efforts and hard work for the project. It had not only restored a war-torn cultural heritage but had built a great wall of peace and friendship in the hearts of both peoples.

Lin said： “The year 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the victory of the world’s anti-fascist war and the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. In recent years， Sino-Japanese relations have followed a tortuous path， from which we have drawn profound lessons. To pro-perly address historical issues and other problems concerning the political base of Sino-Japanese relations is the key to maintaining long-term stable bilateral ties.”

She hoped that through recalling the past the people of the two countries， especially youth， would better understand the importance of peace to both countries， become involved in the cause of Sino-Japanese friendship and make unremitting efforts for the lofty goal of peaceful coexistence， mutually beneficial cooperation， common development and lasting friendship.

Tetsuo Sakai said 1995 was the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The then Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama released the “Murayama Statement” based on a Cabinet decision， expressing deep remorse and profound regret to the people of China， Korea and other Asian countries for the tremendous disasters and unbearable wartime sufferings Japan had caused. “The Murayama Statement” and JCFA President Hirayama’s initiative on rebuilding the old city wall of Nanjing were just right for marking the 50th anniversary of the end of the war.

The “Abe Statement”， to be delivered on August 15 this year on the occasion of the 70th anniversary， would surely attract world attention. The Japanese people expected it would inherit wholly the spirit of the “Murayama Statement” as all previous Japanese prime ministers had done， and hoped the meeting between the heads of state of Japan and China would be continued smoothly.

Wu Xijun and Chu Yonghong said the significance of the joint project went far beyond protection of cultural heritage in the shape of the Nanjing old city wall； more importantly， it had raised people’s consciousness， enabled them to have a better understanding of the practical significance of “The past not forgotten is a guide for the future” and affirmed their will and resolve to cherish peace and oppose war.

They pointed out that peace， development， cooperation and win-win were an irreversible trend of the times， and they called on people to treasure the Sino-Japanese friendly and cooperative relations forged over the years by personages of the two countries. They hoped that the younger generation would learn about the unusual history of Nanjing’s old city wall， form a correct view of history and work to realize the long-cherished wish of lasting friendship and cooperation between China and Japan.

Chinese and Japanese student representatives said at the meeting that the past 20 years since the launching of the initiative of rebuilding Nanjing’s old city wall had seen many twists and turns in Sino-Japanese relations. In that time， a new generation of young people had emerged， and to deepen mutual understanding between the youth was a guarantee for friendship and peace between the two countries. They pledged that they would take this commemoration activity to work together to create a better future of the two countries.

In the afternoon， the delegations of JCFA headquarters and local branches and Japanese friendly personages， totaling over 100 people， braved rain to visit the Memorial Hall for Compatriots Killed in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Forces of Aggression， where they laid wreaths and stood in silent tribute to the victims.

Tetsuo Sakai said they had studied the history of that period before coming to China. But， they learned more about it after visiting the Memorial Hall. He himself had some knowledge about the history of that period. As Japanese war veterans under pressure would not talk about their experiences in the war after returning to Japan and were reticent about the facts of aggression， the younger generation in Japan knew little about the history. The JCFA should play its role and let the Japanese people， especially young people know the true facts about the Nanjing massacre so as to prevent the historical tragedy from repeating itself again.

He wrote on the guestbook： “Lasting Japan-China friendship and perpetual world peace.”