Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda paid respect to Confucius
at the hometown of the ancient Chinese philosopher Sunday morning
before wrapping up his four-day China tour, which was seen as a
"herald of spring" for China-Japan ties.
Fukuda and his wife Kiyoko bowed in front of a statue of the
great sage after arriving at the Temple of Confucius, a UNESCO
World Heritage site in Qufu, Shandong Province in east China.
During their one-hour stay, they also visited the places where
Confucius taught students some 2500 years ago, and watched a
traditional ceremony performance commemorating the ancient
philosopher.
Before leaving, Fukuda signed four Chinese characters, "wen gu
chuang xin", on a visitors' book, a coinage of the Prime Minister
probably inspired by Confucius' teaching of "wen gu zhi xin" which
calls people to gain new insights through reviewing old things.
Fukuda told reporters the visit to the hometown of Confucius
left him "deep impression".
He said he hoped to use the visit as an opportunity to deepen
understanding and expand exchanges between the two peoples, and
further promote the strategic, mutually-beneficial ties between
Japan and China.
"My visit to China this time is very meaningful. I had in-depth
discussions with Chinese leaders," Fukuda said after visiting the
Confucian temple.
Fukuda's visit to the hometown of Confucius demonstrated "the
common cultural background between the Chinese people and Japanese
people," said Mitsuo Sakaba, press secretary of Japanese foreign
minister.
Confucius is a philosopher admired by both peoples in China and
Japan.The works of Confucius, especially the Analects of Confucius,
a book compiling his life-long teachings, are quite popular in
Japan.
Fukuda is the first incumbent Japanese prime minister that
visited the hometown of Confucius. Former Japanese Prime Minister
Tomiichi Murayama who served in the position in mid-1990, visited
Qufu in 2002.
The Temple of Confucius in Qufu, first built in 478 B.C., is the
prototype of some 2,000 Confucian temples all over the world,
including Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States,
Singapore and Vietnam.
Fukuda arrived in Shandong province on Saturday afternoon from
Tianjin, a port city neighbouring Beijing, where he visited a
factory of Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co. Ltd.
Fukuda's trip, which is taking place three months after he took
office, is another important step to boost bilateral ties,
following the "ice-breaking" visit by then Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe in October last year and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's "ice-thawing" trip to Japan in
April.
It has been the third overseas trip of Fukuda since he took
office three months ago. Prior to his China trip, he visited the
United States and Singapore.
(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2007)
