"Sino-Japanese relations, a matter of most importance": Interview

The "pension scandal" last year swept over the whole political arena in Japan caused quite some noted politicians, both in and out of the office, to fall down, but there were also some uncontaminated statesmen coming up to the surface. At the very moment Okada Katsuya, who took over the Party leadership of the Democratic Party, is one among them. Our reporter had an interview the other day with him, a person with an "honest working style", well-know head of the Party, the largest Party not in the office in Japan.

Okada graduated from the Department of Law of the Tokyo University and was elected for the first time member of the Diet in 1990. He used to be a member of the Noboru Sect of the Liberal Democratic Party but later he seceded from the Party together with some others and finally joined the Democratic Party after some ups and downs.

The strict working style of Okada is quite opposite to the "affected" one of Junichiro Koizumi. When mentioning vitalizing the Democratic Party he's full of confidence. Okada expressed, since Junichiro Koizumi of the Liberal Democratic Party took up the post of Prime minister the Japanese diplomacy seemed to have gone into a blind alley. Except the Nippon-US relations the other bilateral relations between Japan and China, Japan and Russia and Japan and Korea are all no good. In the concept of the Democratic Party the relationship between Japan and China is put at the most important place as against the Japanese relations with all other countries. No matter how full his activities are arranged the "must-be timetable" arranged by himself is his visit to China at lease once every year. This year he's planed to pay a visit to China as a representative of the Democratic Party after the schedule of the diet comes to an end. Over the past 10 years Okada visited China 10 times. He not only did so himself but also encouraged those young members of the Democratic Party to pay more visits to and exchange views with China so as to deepen the understanding of China. Okada is of opinion that Japan and China are both big countries in Asia and are neighboring countries. It is quite normal to have some frictions and collisions but the key is to make both sides to sit down and talk with a frank attitude for solving the problem through consultation and the common wisdom and circumspection are needed to be exercised for its solution, especially when facing with a sensitive problem.

Okada has seen a very busy schedule ever since he came to the leadership of the Democratic Party in last May. On the very day before the reporter had an interview with him he had just finished his address, in which he mentioned the problem of Yasukuni Shrine. Okada told the reporter in his speech he dealt on the problem, expressing that Junichiro Koizumi as Japanese Prime minister should not go to visit the Shrine. He held that first of all the Yasukuni Shrine is but a religious organization of the people, not a government organ and so the Japanese Prime minister representing the Japanese government who went to visit the Yasukuni shrine went against the principle of segregation between politics and religion. Besides, in the Yasukuni Shrine are consecrated with some first-rate war-criminals, and Japanese people as peace-loving people should not go to visit the Shrine. If one day he becomes the prime minister he will never go to visit the Shrine. Okada also said, there is an establishment in Okinawa known as "Basis for Peace" which is in memory of ordinary soldiers and people who lost their lives in the war. Among them there are Americans, Koreans, and also part of the Chinese people. Japan should put up a memorial place without any religious background so as to keep those war victims in memory.

Okada has a personal habit, that is, he would like to bring back some frog-artworks from overseas whenever he goes abroad on mission. And he bought some 70-80 pieces from China alone. In Japan, frog is an animal which symbolizes an indefatigable spirit. It keeps on leaping and skipping by riverside, trying to catch the willow sprigs in breeze which has given people a very deep impression. In the mind's eye of Okada, to do some work in an indefatigable way is the prerequisite for promoting the development of the Japan¨CChina relations and is also a matter of urgency for the reform in Japan.

By People's Daily Online