“You are back home!”

BBeijing， November 11， 2009 The sky was exceptionally blue after the first snow. The temperature was low， but people could feel the bright sunshine’s warmth. For the members of the Japanese orphans delegation， they felt especially so because they would soon meet Premier Wen Jiabao whom they had been longing to see.

The term “Japanese orphans” refers to a special group of people in Sino-Japanese relations. They are Japanese as well as “Chinese”. After Japan’s defeat in the war， some Japanese army officers’ families， emigrants and other Japanese living in China abandoned their small， weak or sick children when they left China in a hurry. These children， 2，808 in total， were raised and then eventually sent back to Japan by their kind-hearted Chinese foster parents. They had been separated from their natural parents because of the war， but were fortunate to find Chinese parents willing to forget war sufferings and treat them as their own children. Now， they came back to express their most sincere gratitude to the Chinese Government， people and parents. The news that Premier Wen Jiabao would meet with them filled the orphans with the warmth of coming home.

“You are back home! You came to visit your parents， your families and the Chinese people. I’m also one of your family. On behalf of the Chinese Government and people， I welcome you home!” Braving the cold wind， Premier Wen Jiabao greeted a delegation of Japanese orphans outside the Ziguang Hall (Hall of Purple Lights) in the Zhongnanhai (governmental) Compound. The orphans had arrived there in a coach at 15:40.

Seeing the beaming Premier， the 65-year-old Sumie Ikeda， the delegation leader， held his hand tightly. She was too excited to speak， tears rolling down her cheeks.

The 45-member delegation consisting of war orphans from all parts of Japan and a dozen Japanese Diet members and lawyers came to China to visit their foster parents to express their gratitude for giving them a second life and to thank the Chinese people for their parental grace. The meeting had been scheduled to be held in the Great Hall of the People.

“Before your visit， I watched a video about you looking for your foster parents in China made by CCTV. I could not hold back my tears when I watched it. I decided there and then to invite those children abandoned during the war， who are senior people now， to Zhongnanhai，” Premier Wen told the delegation.

“I’d like to have a heart-to-heart talk with you and show you round Zhongnanhai， especially the Xihua Hall， the former residence of the late Premier Zhou Enlai. Let’s forget formalities. Speak whatever on minds， for you are among your kinsfolk，” he added， with a smile.

No sooner had the Premier completed his sentence than several members of the delegation rose to speak. Ikeda who had lived in Mudanjiang City of Heilongjiang Province for 37 years started first: “I’m very happy and moved that I can come home today. We orphans left behind in China when Japan’s war against China ended in 1945 were taken care of by our Chinese foster parents. We will tell our children and grandchildren to always remember this great generosity. The kindness of the Chinese people who saved our lives and brought us up is weighty as mountain and deep as sea. We will work hard to serve as a bridge for lasting friendship between China and Japan!”

Ikeda’s foster parents named her “Xu Ming”. She spent her childhood and youth in Mudanjiang and returned to Japan in 1981. Two days before meeting Premier Wen， she had revisited her hometown. When she talked about the reunion with her foster parents she was excited and joyful.

Premier Wen nodded happily and said: “Japan is your motherland and China is your homeland where your foster parents live. Parental grace is higher than the sky and deeper than the sea. You have not forgotten your Chinese foster parents， nor your homeland. You came back to visit your foster families， bringing with you your gratitude. Though some of your foster parents have passed away， they would be very pleased in the other world if they knew of your visit.

Outside the Hall of Purple Lights it was cold and the snow of the previous day still remained on the ground， but， inside， it was filled with a warm atmosphere.

The orphans remembered the great changes Premier Wen brought to their lives. In his speech “For Friendship and Peace” delivered at the House of Representatives during his visit to Japan， known as the “ice-thawing visit”， in April 2007， he especially touched upon the subject of Japanese orphans， reviving the interest of the Japanese public in their fate.

“Premier Wen’s speech had strong repercussion in Japan and greatly encouraged those political figures that supported the orphans and the lawyers who helped them file law suits. Three months later， the Japanese Government put in place a new aid program for the orphans， which greatly improved their livelihood and medical care，” said Gen Nakatani， a member of the House of Representatives.

Premier Wen also had fresh memories of that speech: “I talked about three things in that speech: The first is the touching story of Marshal Nie Rongzhen’s adoption of a Japanese girl Mihoko from the battlefield， which has moved the people of our two countries. The second is that 2，808 Japanese children were abandoned in China after the war. The war-torn Chinese people didn’t direct their hatred towards the Japanese people. On the contrary， with a broad minded attitude， they overcame numerous difficulties and took care of and brought up these abandoned Japanese children including those of you present here. After the normalization of diplomatic relations， the Chinese Government through various channels communicated with the Japanese side and provided all necessary assistance for these orphans to find their families in Japan. Now， 2，513 orphans have settled down in Japan. The third is the repatriation of over a million Japanese emigrants from Huludao Port. One Japanese woman recalled that， on their way to Huludao， the Chinese people gave them food， oranges and other assistance， which they would remember all their lives. During his visit to China， former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama made a special trip to Huludao. He said that the repatriation fully reflected the magnanimity of the Chinese nation and humanitarianism of the Chinese people.”

Most of the orphans returned to Japan in the 1980s and 1990s. Many of them， keeping in mind the kindness of their Chinese foster parents， have followed the development in China and have been actively engaged in promoting Japan-China friendship. In 2008， after the Wenchuan earthquake， they donated more than 16 million Japanese yen for the building of a Japan-China Hope Primary School in the quake-hit area， although none of them was very rich.

“Your donation to the quake area touched me. You have not forgotten your homeland， and given it practical supported. The Hope Primary School built in Sichuan with your donations carries your memories of and your love and gratitude for your homeland，” Premier Wen said with emotion.

“China and Japan are close nei- ghbors separated by only a strip of water and the friendly exchanges between the Chinese and Japanese people can be traced back to 2，000 years ago，” continued the Premier.“The War of Aggression against China launched by Japanese militarists not only caused a huge disaster to the Chinese people， but also brought suffering to the Japanese people. A handful of Japanese militarists should be held responsible for the war. We are delighted to see that Sino-Japanese relations are now progressing on the track of friendship and mutual benefit. We should follow this general development trend of friendship and cooperation and pass on friendship from generation to generation. I hope that you will become envoys， bridges and ties of friendship between China and Japan，” he said.

Hiroo Shimizu， who grew up in Mudanjiang City， did not find his parents when he returned to Japan. The 72-year-old man said to Premier Wen: “My Chinese foster parents have given me a second life. No any other country in the world has done such a great benevolent deed as China. The Chinese people have never taken me as a foreigner. I grew up under the red flag， having been a young pioneer， a member of the Communist Youth League and a member of the Communist Party of China. I had been given important work to do. We orphans are grateful. We will never forget the kindness of the Chinese people and will make unremitting efforts to promote China-Japan friendship.

Premier Wen nodded approvingly at Shimizu’s sincere and simple words.

Nearly an hour had passed without the orphans noticing. Sixty-nine-year-old Keiko Matsuda sang Words from My Heart， a song with words by the orphans， pushing the meeting to a climax.

Words from my heart

I have two homes: one in Japan and the other in China

…

Though I have returned to my motherland

I miss all the more my home in China

Without Chinese foster parents

Who would have taken care of me and brought me up

…

Matsuda’s singing interrupted with choking sobs brought tears to the Premier’s eyes and touched all present.

After the meeting， the Premier took the orphans to visit the Xihua Hall where the late Premier Zhou Enlai once lived and worked. Premier Wen chatted cordially with the orphans on the way. Bursts of laughter rose from time to time. The snow on the trees in Zhongnanhai was melting.