Chinese President Hu Jintao, who had just attended the 12th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, met Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Santiago on Nov 21. In the meeting, Hu stressed that China and Japan have made significant progress in their bilateral ties over the past 32 years since the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations. Both countries have made notable achievements in every field of their cooperation. This hard-earned situation should be doubly cherished and carefully maintained.

The Sino-Japanese summit meeting is, without doubt, of special significance to easing the tension between China and Japan. Behind the successful meeting are the efforts made by diplomats and non-governmental forces of the two countries. In early November, the "Development Pattern and Regional Cooperation" symposium sponsored by the Japan Research Center of the Fudan University and subsidized by the International Exchange Foundation of Japan was held in Shanghai. The Japan-China Friendship Association, which had participated in promoting the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries also came to attend the symposium.

During the symposium, the 21st Century Economic Report had an exclusive interview with Mr. Sakai Makoto, executive director-general of the Japan-China Friendship Association, at which he analyzed the forces behind the tension.

Cold political ties do not conform to Japan's national interests

21st Century: How do you look upon the current Sino-Japanese relations?

Sakai Makoto: The Japan-China political relations today are very undesirable, and are incompatible with the economic development of the two countries.

We used to say about hot economic ties, which, however, would cool down without high-level exchanges. Recently, French President Chirac and Russian President Putin led huge economic and trade delegations to visit China, which immensely stimulated the Japanese economic circle. On Aug 31, the President of the Japanese Union of Economic Bodies, known as "prime minister of Japan's financial circle", voiced his opinion on behalf of Japan's financial circle at a regular dinner party between the financial circle and Prime Minister Koizumi. He said there are no high-level dialogs in current Japan-China relations, so he expressed the hope that the Prime Minister would take measures to change this situation.

21st Century: Prime Minister Koizumi's constant visits to the Yasukuni Shrine have aroused deep concerns among Asian countries and have adversely affected Sino-Japanese relations. What's your approach toward Koizumi's actions?

Sakai Makoto: At that time, the war was seen as Japan's state policy and the soldiers who died in the battlefields were for their country. It's only natural that the Prime Minister mourns over their death. Such a view is quite common among the Japanese. But after 1975, a staff member of the Yasukuni Shrine stealthily placed the tabernacles of class-A war criminals into the shrine. Behind the staff member were Japan's Right-wing forces, including those from academic, political, and economic circles. Before 1975, the Mikado--the emperor of Japan, paid homage to the Yasukuni Shrine too, but he never went there once he learnt the war criminals were enshrined there.

What Koizumi and his cabinet do completely go against the political relations required by the two countries' economic development. His shrine visit is absolutely wrong. No matter what his personal idea is, as prime minister of the country, his uppermost thinking should be national interest.

21st Century: Along with China's rise, in your opinion, how to properly handle the relations between the two Asian powers?

Sakai Makoto: From a broad perspective, China had been quite strong for a long period since the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and it began to go downhill at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Japan began to grow in strength after the Meiji reform. In the 40 years since the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Japan was rather strong while China was weak.

After the 1980s, it is no longer a history of one strong and the other weak between China and Japan, instead, the two have become powerful countries. It is vitally important as to how to properly handle the relations between the two powers. Although Japan is in a powerful position, it has reached its peak and has begun to go downhill, while China is like the rising sun at eight or nine o'clock in he morning. Its future is inestimable.

China is growing strong day by day, and that is not ordinary strength, surrounding countries will feel worried about this. China ought to understand such worries. China has developed to such an extent, so other people are concerned about each of its moves.

Right deviation tendency of the younger generation

21st Century: Koizumi visits the shrine in an official capacity, what forces are behind him?

Sakai Makoto: For one, it is said of the Right deviation tendency of Japan's politics. Another is the change in the balance of factional force inside the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). As a Chinese scholar says on the basis of his analysis: Currently, there is basically no traditionally pro-China faction within the LDP. Japan has seen three general elections after reforming the electoral system. All the parliament (Diet) members are young, very few of them are over 70 years old.

21st Century: What is the difference between the young-generation Right deviationists and traditional Right deviationists? Why are members of the Liberal Democratic Party and Japan's younger generation on their way to being new Rightists?

Sakai Makoto: The Koizumi cabinet acts at the beck and call of the United States, its series of policies including the dispatch of SDF to Iraq had support from the parliament members of the younger generation.

There is difference between the younger generation of Rightists and the old ones. The past Right deviationists worshiped the nationalism of Mikado; while the Right deviationists nowadays mean Japan is to become an ordinary country, which is a mere slogan. Shaking off the feeling of being oppressed after the war is the real intention. The younger-generation politicians cannot stand the feeling of being oppressed. The older-generation politicians had their personal experiences in the war, so they understand the peace constitution, but the younger generation does not have such experience.

21st Century: As time goes by, the younger generation loses perceptual knowledge. But history is written in the textbook. Whitewashing Japan's militarist actions by revising history textbooks has been going on for a long time. This will undoubtedly mislead the young people's understanding of history. What do you think about this?

Sakai Makoto: The textbook event began in the 1980s. Last year Japan's Sankei Shimbun organized many Right-wing scholars in compiling a history textbook for junior middle school students, but the textbook is only used by 0.03 percent of schools.

People's memory has faded away after 60 years. And young people know little about the past. Amendment to the history textbook makes people lose ability to treat history reasonably. This is wrong and groundless.

As a renowned American economist stressed in his speech delivered in Japan, Japan needs to gain understanding from neighboring countries through resolving the problem concerning understanding of history. Failing to do so, Japan will have no future.

Asia needs a common goal

21st Century: Are there any other forces outside Japan behind the tense Sino-Japanese relations?

Sakai Makoto: There is always a group of people who are not happy about close Sino-Japanese relations. If Japan and China fall out, it would benefit mainly Taiwan authorities. Taiwan has done a lot of work with Japanese political, media and academic circles.

America has an axe to grind too. America's basic policy toward Asia is to keep a tense situation there, so as to find an excuse for its presence in the region. That's its strategy.

Asia has always been interfered by a third party. This makes it necessary for Asia to have a common goal. In this regard, we need to learn from the EU.

21st Century: The recent China-Japan negotiation on East China Sea oil didn't go smoothly, and there was competition between the two sides over the issue of Russian oil pipeline. What's your approach toward Sino-Japan contention for energy?

Sakai Makoto: There are limits to resources. It is pointless for the two sides to stick to their own views. Only solving problems through negotiation between the two sides can benefit both parties.

Energy is a problem that bears on national interests, which must be resolved through civilized methods. I disapprove of the media dwelling too much upon this issue. Some irresponsible media in Japan have made a big fuss about that.

In addition, on the question of resources, the two sides should consider how to efficiently utilize resources. Japan itself lacks resources, and so has to rely completely on imports. Nevertheless, Japan is fairly advanced in the development of new technologies, this makes it possible for the two countries to carry out cooperation in this respect.

By People's Daily Online