CJFA Delegation Led by Song Jian Visits Japan

At the invitation of the Japan-China Friendship Centre, a delegation of the China-Japan Friendship Association (CJFA) led by its President Song Jian paid a goodwill visit to Japan from December 3 to 10, 2006. In Tokyo Song Jian and his party paid an official call on leaders of the Japanese ruling party and parties not in office and a number of important political figures including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Speaker of the House of Representatives Yohei Kono, Foreign Minister Taro Aso, head of the New Komeito Party Akihiro Ota, leader of the Democratic Party Ichiro Ozawa, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Japan Kazuo Shii, and Chairman of the SocialistParty Mizuho Fukushima, and fully exchanged views with the leaders of the seven Japan-China friendship organizations on making great efforts to promote people-to-people friendly exchanges. Song Jian and his party also visited Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures and exchanged views with the leaders concerned on the exchanges between localities of the two countries.

Personages of various circles in Japan expressed their welcome to the improvement of Japan-China relations and held that both sides should continue their concerted efforts and take the 35th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan and the Japan-China Exchange Year of Sports and Culture as a turning point to further promote the development of Sino-Japanese relations.

When meeting with personages in the Japanese political circles, Song Jian briefed about China’s basic views of the current China-Japan relations and its relevant policies. Song said, the two countries through concerted efforts have reached consensus, overcome the political obstacles in the bilateral relations and improved and developed their friendly cooperative relations. In October 2006, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a successful visit to China and the two sides issued a joint communiqué, stating that the two countries would work together to construct a mutually-beneficial strategic relationship and materialize the lofty goals of peaceful coexistence, lasting friendship, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development, which has offered a new opportunity for the development of bilateral relations. The fact that in November the leaders of the two countries met again in Hanoi has shown the common aspiration of the two sides for improving and developing the relations and marked a new situation emerging in bilateral relations. Currently, China-Japan relations are at an important moment of its development. Song Jian expressed his appreciation to the personages of various circles in Japan for their efforts to improve and develop the relations between the two countries.

In his meeting with Song Jian, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, after taking office as prime minister in September, he chose China as the country for his first official visit, and had fruitful talks with the Chinese leaders. The two sides agreed to push Japan-China relations to a higher level and jointly construct a mutually-beneficial strategic relationship. He met with President Hu Jintao again in November in Hanoi and is looking forward to meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the East Asia Summit. Frequent contacts between the leaders of the two countries are of great importance to enhancing mutual understanding and trust and promoting exchanges and cooperation, Abe added.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Yohei Kono said, the fact that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe chose China for his first official visit abroad is the outcome of the concerted efforts made by the two countries, and what is more, the resolution made by the Chinese leaders proceeding from the overall situation. The two sides should intensify their efforts to further promote the development of bilateral relations and make up for the lost time.

Foreign Minister Taro Aso said, exchanges between the two countries in various fields are being carried out more actively in a better atmosphere. Particularly, the undertaking of exchanges in the 21st century with the exchange of visits between the students of senior middle schools of the two countries as the main content is progressing smoothly. The younger generation shoulders the future of Japan-China relations. The exchanges between the younger generations of the two countries are of great importance. He hoped that exchanges of this kind would produce more tangible results. The year 2007 is the Japan-China Exchange Year of Sports and Culture. He hoped that the two sides would strengthen coordination and cooperation and jointly promote exchanges between the two countries in the cultural and sports areas.

The leaders of the Japanese nongovernmental friendship-with-China organizations said, the improvement of Japan-China relationship which has not easily come by should be treasured dearly. People-to-people exchanges in all fields should be further carried out energetically to enhance friendship between the two peoples.

People-to-people exchanges have played an important role in the development of Sino-Japanese relationship especially when it is confronted with difficulties. At the luncheon jointly held by the presidents of the seven Japan-China friendship organizations, Song Jian spoke highly of the efforts made by them for the development of bilateral relations. He said, in the past few years, China-Japan relations met the most serious difficulties since the two countries normalized their relations. In March 2006, presidents of the seven organizations jointly visited China. Leaders of the friendship organizations of the two countries gathered together to exchange views in depth on how to overcome political obstacles to bilateral relations and intensify people-to-people friendly exchanges. In meeting with them, President Hu Jintao gave an important speech on the improvement of China-Japan relations, pointing out that the Chinese Government always look at China-Japan relations from the strategic and long-term perspective and keep committed to the peaceful coexistence, lasting friendship, mutually-beneficial cooperation between the two countries and common development. President Hu stressed, it is impossible to build a bright future for China-Japan relations without the extensive support and active participation of the two peoples and the hard work of the friends from the friendship organizations in the two countries. Song Jian said, this fully demonstrates that the Chinese leaders attach great importance to Sino-Japanese relations and the Chinese and Japanese friendship organizations have played important roles in friendly exchanges between the two peoples. The seven Japan-China friendship organizations, proceeding from the friendship between the two peoples and their fundamental interests, have overcome numerous difficulties, worked hard to push forward the cause of friendship between the two peoples and made great contributions. Song hoped that the two sides would make concerted efforts to maintain the good situation of the improved Sino-Japanese relations and make new contributions to their further development.

In his speech on behalf of the seven organizations, President of the Japan-China Friendship Centre Yoshiro Hayashi expressed his welcome to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to China as well as to the consensus in a wide range of areas reached by the state leaders of the two countries and the improvement of Japan-China relations. He said, with a view to pushing Japan-China relations to a higher level and expanding common interests of the two sides, it is not enough to rely only upon cooperation between the governments. Exchanges and dialogue between the two peoples at all levels in various fields should be earnestly carried out to nurture a mature and healthy environment for public opinion and feelings of the people and enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples. This is also an urgent task we are faced with.

In their speeches, Ikuo Hirayama, President of the Japan-China Friendship Association; Masahiko Komura, president of the Dietmen’s League for Japan-China Friendship; and Takeshi Noda, president of the Japan-China Society, all expressed their welcome to the gradual improvement of Japan-China relations. They said, they would make good use of the opportunity of the year 2007, the 35th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China diplomatic relations and the Japan-China Exchange Year of Sports and Culture, and do more work to enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples and promote bilateral cooperation. Particularly they would give more guidance to the media of the two countries so as to create a good media environment for the healthy and stable development of the relations between the two countries.

Daisaku Ikeda, honorary president of the Soka Gakkai, said, Japan should always stick to developing friendly and cooperative relations with China. This is Japan’s only correct choice. The Soka Gakkai and he himself are willing to continue to make efforts to carry on Japan-China friendship from generation to generation and safeguard peace in Asia and the world at large.