The year 2003 is an unquiet one for China-Japan relations. In an interview by Beijing Youth Daily, the former Chinese ambassador to Japan Yang Zhenya noted that the two countries should, in the sprit of "drawing lessons from history and looking into the future," try their best to maintain a general situation of friendship on the basis of adhering to principles. Friendly exchanges between the two countries should not be affected by historical questions, and unhealthy national sentiment should be avoided.

On top of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's third visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in his official capacity in January, this year has also seen the "August 4" poisonous gas leakage from chemical weapons abandoned by Japanese troops during the wartime in Qiqihar, the massive sex scandal in Zhuhai by Japanese guests and the indecent performance by Japanese students and teacher on a Xi'an campus. These incidents, after being hyped up by some media of both countries, cast a negative impact on the two peoples, and the trust between them declined, as surveys showed. Since this year, Japan-related remarks emerged on the Internet in large quantities. After the "August 4" incident, signature-collecting activities flooded the net demanding compensation from the Japanese government for Chinese victims. Similar activities also appeared against the using of Japan-made railroad cars on the Beijing-Shanghai railway. However, when net surfers were expressing their opinion in a normal way, rhetoric with nationalism colors, part of it extremely irresponsible, also cropped up. Serving as strong instigators they seriously damaged the Sino-Japanese relations and hurt China's national interests.

Regarding historical questions, Yang said, the first and foremost is to handle them properly in the sprit of the three important documents between the two countries, including the China-Japan Joint Communiqué. We should respect historical facts, and clearly define evildoers and victims. We should respect the feeling of peoples of victim countries, and never hurt it rashly. "As neighbors gazing at each other across the sea, we can only allow friendship and will never tolerate confrontations. One of the basic characteristics of Sino-Japanese relations is to go forward amidst constant noises and interference. So, we have no reason to be alarmed if fresh problems crop up when we expect smooth advancement, for we are sure to handle them properly by keeping a cool head and telling their nature. We should also see that some events hot on newspapers are not in the mainstream of Sino-Japan relations". But Yang refused to comment on any specific event.

Since the normalization of diplomatic ties, China-Japan relations have gone through 31 years, a period that can by no means be called quiet. But viewed as a whole, we should say great development has been achieved, with friendly exchanges and cooperation reaching a historic height in whichever field.

Yang Zhenya worked as the fifth Chinese ambassador to Japan from 1988 to 1993. In 1989, the China-Japan ties faced with great difficulties but by painstaking efforts the Chinese Embassy in Japan finally pushed Japan to first lift sanctions on China among western countries. In 1991 the Embassy realized then Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu's visit to China with ties between the two countries resumed and developed. On this basis, in 1992, on the 20th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties, President Jiang Zemin visited Japan in the first half of the year and Japanese Emperor Akihito visited China in the second half, the first ever China visit by a Japanese emperor during the 2,000 years history of China-Japan exchanges.

On November 3, 2002, the Japanese government announced its autumn medal-conferring list issued by Emperor Akihito. Most medal receivers were Japanese nationals from various communities but Yang among some few foreigners was awarded the "Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure". In last September, at the proposal of former Japanese Prime ministers including Yasuhiro Nakasone, Kiichi Miyazawa, Ryutaro Hashimoto, Yoshiro Mori as well as president of the Japan-China Friendship Association Ikuo Hiraama, a grand celebration was held in Tokyo in honor of Yang. More than 500 friendly personages from Japanese political and business circles attended the reception, at which present were Yasuhiro Nakasone, Ryutaro Hashimoto, Yoshiro Mori, as well as Naoko TAKESHITA ,wife of late Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita and Chizuko Obuchi, wife of late Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. At a moment when China-Japan relations are not so satisfactory, Japan could hold such a splendid party celebration for a senior Chinese diplomat. To our regret, the happy event symbolizing China-Japan friendship was not fully covered by media.

When asked on how to view factors disrupting mutual understanding and trust, Yang said that though these factors come from many aspects, yet at the core are the Taiwan issue and questions left over by history, especially the latter in recent years. Over half a century has gone by since Japanese militarists invaded China, but questions left behind still prop up one after another. From the root, it is because the crimes committed by Japanese militarists have never been thoroughly cleared after the war as did in Germany, and these questions are also the aftermath generated by wrong policies America adopted towards Japan. After the end of the Cold War, these questions became hardened when a new generation of Japanese politicians stepped onto historical stage, who grew up after the war and therefore was ignorant of the history. So, to deal with historical questions it is a long-term and sophisticated battle between China and Japan.

This year the China-Japan trade volume is expected to break 100 billion-yuan again. Economy has become a big tie binding the two countries together. Japan is depending on China for economic recovery when its own industries were hollowed. Meanwhile, Japan has become China's biggest trade partner, without it China will lose huge foreign investment and commodity market. Politically, as two of the most influential nations in East Asia, every slight move by either of them will affect in a big way the regional security. Yang mentioned particularly that a good tradition in Sino-Japanese friendship is the emerging of a large batch of friendly personages, including those influential, high-ranking ones. When the China-Japan ties encounter snags they could stand out and remove barriers to bring the relations back onto a sound track. Along with the passage of time, however, they are leaving us one after another, and the growing of younger ones cannot catch the demands of the situation. This is a reason that in the relationship even a trivial matter will trigger off radical responses from Japan.

Problems exist on media coverage on Sino-Japanese relations from both sides, Yang warned. They are particularly noticeable when frictions increased as the Cold War ended and situation changed some of them even misleading public opinion. He hopes media of both countries could carry more positive reports, help to handle questions properly, remove dangers promptly so as to boost healthy relations between the two countries. The attitude should be ousted that "friendship doesn't make news; only non-friendship makes news and sensations".

"It's easy to ruin the China-Japan ties, but hard to restore it", Yang said at last.

(People’s Daily January 2, 2004)