Premier Wen Jiabao said yesterday that Japan should
"face up to history" and admit to the tremendous suffering it
inflicted on people in China, Asia and the rest of the world during
World War II.
He added that Japan should reflect on widespread
protests over the last weeks. Demonstrations were organized in
major Chinese cities at the weekend against Japan's perceived
distortion of history and whitewashing of wartime atrocities.
Protesters in China and elsewhere in Asia have spoken out against
Japan's hope to become a permanent member of the UN Security
Council.
"The strong response should cause the
Japanese government deep and profound reflections," Wen told
reporters in New Delhi, where he was wrapping up a four-day
trip.
"Only a country that respects history, takes
responsibility for its past, and wins over the trust of the people
of Asia and the world at large can take greater responsibility in
the international community," he said.
In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang
said at Tuesday's regular media briefing that the protests were
"totally spontaneous" and prompted by public dissatisfaction at
"the bad practice and attitude adopted by the Japanese toward its
history of aggression."
"What I want to stress is that they are not
targeted against the Japanese people," Qin said.
When asked how Beijing would respond to Japanese
demands for an apology and compensation for damage to the Japanese
Embassy and other Japanese institutions in China, Qin said the
government has all along asked the demonstrators to express their
feelings in a calm, rational and orderly manner in accordance with
the law.
"The relevant authorities have done a lot in this
regard to ensure the security of Japanese institutes and citizens
in China," he added. "As for a few excessive actions during the
demonstration, that is not what we wish to see."
During Tuesday's meeting with the president of
Kyodo News Service Toyohiko Yamanouchi, State Councilor Tang
Jiaxuan called upon Japan to accept its past and allow the country
to move forward and promote friendship between China and Japan.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of China's
victory in the War of Resistance Against the Japanese Invasion
(1937-45).
In March, on the sidelines of the third annual
session of the 10th National People's Congress, the premier said
China’s relationship with Japan is one of its most important and
that high-level exchanges and visits should be encouraged, joint
strategic studies on promoting friendship launched and historical
issues appropriately handled.
(China Daily April 13, 2005)
