Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's "ice-melting" official visit to
Japan will be successful and will clear the way for regular
contacts between Japanese and Chinese leaders in the future, the
Japan-China Friendship Association (JCFA) President Kyuhei Murakoka
told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Murakoka is full of expectation for the Chinese premier's
upcoming tour, which will be from April 11 to 14, the golden season
of Japan's cherry blossom. He described the visit as "significantly
meaningful" and believed it will lead communications between
leaders from the two countries back into the right track.
The Japan-China Friendship Association will cosponsor a grand
welcome party in Tokyo for Premier Wen with the other seven
Japan-China friendship bodies as well as four groups of Japan-based
Chinese people, Murakoka said.
Talking about the bilateral political ties, which went through
deterioration in the past five-years or so due to former Japanese
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the
war-related Yasukuni shrine, Murakoka said that the Japanese side
is wholly responsible for the displeasure, so Japan's new
government should do more to "break the hard ice."
As other friendly Japanese people who hope to see a better
relationship with China, Murakoka was happy to see that Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided to visit China first after taking
office last September and reached consensus with Chinese leaders on
the construction of a mutually-beneficial strategic relationship
during his "ice-breaking tour."
Abe's "ice-breaking tour" and Wen's corresponding "ice-melting
visit" will create a favorable political atmosphere for the
improvement of bilateral ties, Murakoka said, adding that Japan's
friendship bodies, including the JCFA, will make efforts to further
strengthen the positive momentum from inside the civilian
circle.
Murakoka pointed out that some negative factors, such as the
unresolved Yasukuni issue and the alienation between the two
people, still may hinder the fluent development of the bilateral
relationship.
"The JCFA will also make efforts to play an active role to
reduce or even remove all the worrisome factors posing danger to
the bilateral ties," he said.
He showed enthusiasm on talking about a variety of exchange
activities during the 2007 Japan-China Culture and Sports Exchange
Year, which is considered by Murakoka as a nice opportunity for the
two peoples to deepen mutual understanding.
On the prospects of the Japan-China relationship, Murakoka said
it's natural that frictions may appear between different countries,
however, no difficulties are unconquerable as long as negotiation
and dialogue are conducted based on mutual trust.
"Mutual understanding and mutual trust between the two
governments are the cornerstone of sound ties, and communication
between leaders is the most critical aspect of bilateral
exchanges," he said.
"A healthy relationship between Japan and China will not only
benefit the two countries, but also advantage their Asian
neighbors," said Murakoka.
(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2007)
