More than 100 Japanese young people visited Nankai University in north China's Tianjin Municipality, and talked with Chinese students, vowing to strengthen exchanges between young Japanese and young Chinese and promote bilateral friendship.

 

Kazuhiko Takeuchi, head of the youth delegation of the Soka Gakkai of Japan, said he hopes Japanese young people can further strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Chinese young people and promote mutual understanding and friendship, in order to push forward China-Japan friendship.

 

The Soka Gakkai, established in 1930, has carried out friendly exchanges with China since the 1960s. Its Honorary President Daisaku Ikeda has visited China many times and always been active in promoting friendly relations between the two countries. Many Chinese leaders including the late Premier Zhou Enlai held meetings with him.

 

Takeuchi said they will carry forward Ikeda's torch, make the development of China-Japan relations a mission, and try various channels in order to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between young people of the two countries.

 

Invited by the All-China Youth Federation, the delegation is paying a friendly visit to China. Besides Tianjin, they also visited Beijing and Shanghai. During the visit, the young Japanese delegation members toured Peking University and East China Normal University, and held talks and exchange activities with students and teachers there.

 

The delegation also visited the Lugou Bridge and the memorial commemorating the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Near the bridge in the southwest of Beijing, the Japanese imperialist army in 1937 launched the "July 7 Incident" marking the beginning of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

 

"I feel regret for the crimes of the imperialist army during the war. I hope history will never be repeated and that the friendship between China and Japan can last for generations," said Nobuko Tanaka when talking with the students of Nankai University.

 

The delegates presented delicately made cards to the students praising China-Japan friendship. They had made the cards before coming.

 

During their stay in Tianjin, the delegation visited the memorial commemorating Zhou Enlai and his wife Deng Yingchao, pioneers of China's revolution and among the founders of the People's Republic of China.

 

Chieko Fujiwara said she hopes more and more Japanese can learn about China, since she herself felt the glamour of Chinese culture during the visit.

 

The Soka Gakkai established friendly exchanges with the All-China Youth Federation in 1985. The two sides have carried out regular visits and some exchange programs including one for improving language learning by young people in the two countries.

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2006)