Japan must bear serious consequences of breaking promises

The older generation of Chinese and Japanese leaders took the overall situation into consideration, and reached consensus on shelving the Diaoyu Dao issue during talks on the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1972 and on the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1978. They removed major barriers against the normalization of China-Japan relations, which ushered in a new era of tremendous progress in China-Japan relations as well as peace, development, and cooperation in East Asia.

It is worth noting that the Japanese government promised in the China-Japan Joint Statement issued in 1972 to earnestly implement Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation, namely "the terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be implemented." It is known to all that one of the terms of the declaration is that Japan must return all territory it stole from China.

The Japanese government staged a farce of "purchasing" the Diaoyu Islands in the vain hope of breaking the consensus on shelving the Diaoyu Islands issue. However, the farce backfired, sparking a wave of protests over Japan's shamelessness at both home and abroad. No wonder the Japanese foreign minister received cold reception during his ridiculous and embarrassing Europe trip.

Japan has made a series of rash moves over the Diaoyu Islands issue since the beginning of the year, including renaming the islands, sending officials to land on and inspect the islands, and commemorating Japanese World War II deaths near the islands. The country announced in September that it had finished "nationalizing" the Diaoyu Islands. In such a context, the Chinese government has followed the popular will, and resolutely taken a series of strong measures to safeguard China's sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands. It is reasonable for China to take lawful measures to hit back at Japanese provocations.

Japan's illegal "purchase" of the Diaoyu Islands has destroyed the consensus reached by former leaders of the two countries, and changed the situation over the issue. The issue is no longer what it used to be. Japan must obtain a clear understanding of the current situation, face up to the reality, reflect deeply on and correct its mistakes, and reach new consensus with China over the Diaoyu Islands issue. Only in this way can China-Japan relations return to the track of healthy development.


Read the Chinese version: 日本必须承担背信弃义的严重后果, source: People's Daily, author: Zhong Sheng

Most viewed commentaries
U.S. should pay more attention to domestic affairs	China should participate more in making int'l rules	China bashing: Shame on American politics
Face up to temporary tension between China, Japan	China, Japan and S. Korea must eye the best despite disputes	Japan interferes with Chinese navy's training