The Past not Forgotten Is a Guide for the Future

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday that any act of denial of or glossing over the history of the Japanese militarist aggression is bound to impede the real reconciliation between Japan and the other countries of Asia.

In his remarks marking the 56th anniversary of the Chinese people's victory in the War of Resistance against Japan (1937-1945), the spokesman said that only when history is remembered and lessons are drawn, can the historical tragedy be prevented from being replayed.

"With the joint efforts of the Chinese people and other righteous forces in the world, Japan signed the treaty of surrender 56 years ago, marking the complete failure of its policy of militarist aggression and expansion, and the final victory of the worldwide anti-Fascist war," the spokesman said.

Japan signed the treaty of unconditional surrender on September 2, 1945, and in 1951 the People's Republic of China designated September 3 as the day of commemoration of the victory over Japanese aggression.

The spokesman said during the hard times of arduous struggles, the Chinese people fought with great prowess and sacrifice to defeat the arrogant Japanese invaders, and achieved the first complete success against foreign aggression and humiliation since the start of the Opium War in 1840.

Celebrating the 56th anniversary of the victory, "we dearly cherish the memory of and express our heartfelt respects to the national heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country, mourn for the compatriots who were slaughtered by the invaders, and express our sincere gratitude to all the overseas Chinese and international friends who offered selfless help to us or joined us in the War of Resistance against Japan."

The war of aggression launched by the Japanese militarists brought great suffering to the Chinese people and the people of other victimized countries in Asia, the spokesman said, adding that the Japanese people also suffered from it.

Quoting a line well-known to both Chinese and Japanese that " the past not forgotten is a guide for the future," the spokesman said "only by engraving the bitter and painful history in the heart and drawing in-depth lessons from the past, can the historical tragedy be prevented from being replayed."

"Any act of denial of or glossing over the history of Japan's militarist aggression runs counter to it and will certainly impede the genuine reconciliation between Japan and other Asian countries, and will be resisted and strongly opposed by the people of all the victimized countries in Asia, including the people of Japan."

(Xinhua News Agency 09/03/2001)