Scholars from Japan and China met in Tokyo on Monday over joint
historical research, aiming to narrow difference between the two
countries on historical issues.
The Chinese delegation is led by Bu Ping, director of the
Institute of Modern History at the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences, while the Japanese team is headed by Shinichi Kitaoka,
professor of University of Tokyo. The project involves 10
researchers and scholars from each side.
After the agreement between leaders of the two countries, China
and Japan decided to conduct joint history study, which is closely
related with the improvement of bilateral ties, Bu said at the
opening ceremony of the two-day meeting.
The study is aimed to find agreement in each side's perception
of history, and analyze the differences, Bu said. He hoped the two
sides will work together and submit a research report in June
2008.
The two sides held their first meeting in December in Beijing,
when they agreed to work to shrink the gap in their perceptions of
history, Kitaoka said. He also expected the meeting can be
fruitful.
According to Kyodo News, the academics met with Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe later in the day. Abe was quoted as saying it
is "important" to unravel the long history between Japan and China
"based on objective facts and pursuing academic methods."
At December's meeting, the two sides settled the work process,
scope and topics for joint research, and discussed the 2,000 years
of history of China-Japan exchanges and modern and post-World War
II history in two groups.
(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2007)