Chinese FM Lodges Solemn Representation over Japanese Textbook Issue

Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan met with Japanese ambassador to China, Koreshige Anami, Wednesday, lodging solemn representations over Japanese government's approval of the history textbook compiled by right-wing scholars.

Tang said that China has always demanded that the Japanese side strictly observe the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement and the Sino- Japanese Joint Declaration, and faithfully honor its serious commitments regarding the issue of history.

China also urged the Japanese government to stop the release of the textbook that openly advocates the "empire history sense," denies and whitewashes the history of the Japanese aggression, so as to avoid harming relations between Japan and its Asian neighbors and Japan's international image, Tang said.

China has always proceeded from maintaining the political foundation of Sino-Japanese relations ever since the problem of textbooks emerged and time and again expressed its serious concern over the problem through various channels, Tang said.

However, the Japanese side disregarded China's solemn position and decided to give the green light to the textbook, Tang said, stressing that China is strongly dissatisfied with and indignant at the Japanese action.

He said that the basic, absurd nature of the textbook has remained, although many parts of it have been amended. He added that the book not only denies the nature of aggression behind the war launched by the Japanese militarists, but also wantonly advocates the notorious "meritorious aggressive war".

The textbook does not reflect on the deep atrocities against the Asian people by the Japanese militarists, but instead distorts the historical facts and exculpates for the crimes of aggression of the Japanese militarists, the foreign minister said.

Facts demonstrate clearly that the basic purpose of the Japanese right-wing scholars fabricating the textbook is to deny and whitewash the history of aggression and indoctrinate to the Japanese younger generation an absurd and dangerous view of history, Tang said.

He warned that once the textbook is used in the classrooms, it will definitely poison the Japanese education on history and lay a landmine of hidden trouble for the future of Japan.

Tang described the issue as "another severe political incident in Japan's handling of historical issues," following two similar incidents in the 1980s.

"It reveals that there still exists in Japan a handful of ultra- rightist forces who have been trying to deny and whitewash their country's history of aggression," Tang said, adding that the incident originated from this group and the Japanese government also cannot shirk its responsibility.

When the new Japanese history textbook was being compiled, the Japanese side said for many times that the view of the right-wing Japanese scholars toward history represents an small number of people rather than the majority of the people in Japan, Tang said.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government said they would deal with and handle the issue in accordance with the terms and conditions between China and Japan in 1982 on "neighboring nations" and the " speech made by former Japanese Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi" in 1995, he added.

Despite such commitments from the Japanese side, the new history textbook, which distorts historical facts and insults the feelings of the Asian victims, has got the green light from the Japanese government, Tang said.

"This inevitably makes the Chinese government and the Chinese people doubt what position the Japanese government is actually taking on the historical issue and whether Japan's solemn stance and commitments in the past are trustworthy," he added.

Tang stressed that the political basis of Sino-Japanese relations lies in the appropriate view and handling of the aggressive history of the Japanese militarists, urging the Japanese side to "learn from the past experience and face up to the future."

He said it is necessary to point out that the textbook incident has seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and hindered the normal development of bilateral ties.

"We have taken note of the statements made again by the Japanese chief cabinet secretary and education minister Tuesday, and demanded that the Japanese side keep its word and live up to its responsibilities, take concrete measures to dispel the bad influence brought by the textbook incident and safeguard the general situation of bilateral relations with its deeds," Tang said.

People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/