On the morning of May 15th, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), China-Japan Friendship Association (CJFA), Jiangsu Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Japan-China Friendship Association jointly held the conference commemorating 20th anniversary of China and Japan collaborating to restore Nanjing walls, aiming for Memorizing History, Safeguarding World Peace, Enhancing Friendship, and Joining Hands to Create Future. Lin Yi, Vice President of CPAFFC, Wu Xijun, Vice President of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Chu Yonghong, Deputy Mayor of Nanjing and Sakai Tetsuo attended the conference and delivered speeches respectively.
In her speech, Vice President Lin Yi thanked the Chinese and Japanese personages from all circles for their long-term attention and efforts on restoring Nanjing walls. She said, during the 20 years, the activity of restoring Nanjing walls not only restored the cultural heritage which suffered from devastation and war, but also has built a great wall of peace and friendship in two peoples’ heart.
She said, this year is the 70th anniversary of the world anti-fascist war and the victory of the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression. Summarize Past, Exploit Future, Memorize History, No More Wars is the common wish of the two peoples. May peace and friendship maintain in two peoples’ especially the youth’s mind, through recalling the history and deepening the understanding on the importance of the peace between China and Japan, so as to pass peace and friendship from generation to generation.
Vice President Sakai of JCFA said in his address, 20 years ago in 1995, it was the 50th anniversary of WWII. As everyone knows, the Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama pronounced Murayama Statement which represents the decision of the Japanese cabinet meeting. In Murayama Statement, Japan sincerely apologized to the Asian people including the Chinese and Korean people, and reflected on the great harm that the war brought to the people. Murayama Statement and the initiative of restoring Nanjing walls raised by Ikuo Hirayama, the late president of JCFA are fully suitable of the 50th anniversary of WWII.
Vice President Sakai said, the Abe Statement which will be pronounced in Aug.15th in this year, the 70th anniversary of WWII attaches worldwide attention. The Japanese people look forward that Abe Statement would completely inherit the content of Murayama Statement from the former successive Japanese government, and wish the meeting of the heads of Japan and China could be continued after the two meetings before.
Wang Xiuyun, Director-General of Department of Japanese Affairs of CPAFFC, Hirayama Michiko the wife of Hirayama Ikuo, persons in charge of headquarter of JCFA, friendly personages from both China and Japan, representatives from all circles, university students from Nanjing, about 100 Japanese university students, in all over 400 people attended the commemorative conference.
