Chapter 23 Impressions of visiting Japan

In August of this year, I joined the Chinese delegation to Japan to attend the World Conference on the Prohibition of Atomic Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs, and visited the atomic bomb victims in Japan.During the 18 days of my stay in Japan, I met many old Japanese friends and got in touch with more Japanese people.After exchanging pleasantries, they always ask me to talk about my impressions of this visit to Japan.I really have too many thoughts about Japan, where I revisited the old place! I deeply feel the pain of the living conditions of the Japanese people today.After the end of the war, Japan lost its independence under the occupation of the US army, the land became a US military base, and the basic human rights of the people were also violated.As Comrade Shiga Yoshio, member of the Central Committee of the Japanese Communist Party, said: "Under such circumstances, as long as we recall the situation in China before liberation, Chinese comrades and friends can fully understand the pain of the Japanese people."

However, I also deeply feel that more and more people in Japan have clearly and resolutely chosen their own path—the path of peace and independence.They demanded a change to the semi-occupied state, they opposed the plot to turn Japan into a foreign military base and drive the Japanese people to serve as cannon fodder for future wars of aggression, they opposed the revival of Japanese militarism and rearmament.They urgently demand the restoration of normal relations with all countries in the world, especially their immediate neighbors --- China and the Soviet Union.They urgently demand the lifting of the "embargo", and they want to use their exquisite industrial products to conduct mutually beneficial trade with countries all over the world, especially their neighbor, China, which has a population of 600 million, to improve the economic situation of their country.They should firmly unite with the peace forces in the world and work hard for the establishment of an independent, peaceful and democratic new Japan.

When it comes to the life of the Japanese people today, we don't need to read long-winded news magazines, but we can fully understand the suffering of the Japanese people with a sentence or two or one or two small things when we gossip about our daily life or travel in a hurry! The airports we passed, such as Haneda, Fukuoka, Itami, Iwakuni and other airports, are also US Air Force bases.In the waiting room, there were American soldiers coming in and out, and there were American soldiers busy operating at the airport.I especially noticed how far the cars had traveled outside Itami Airport, and there were still pubs, dance halls, shops, and a few pawnshops for the US military on both sides of the street with signs in English!At the same time, not far from here, there are large, small, horizontal and vertical slogans of "oppose the expansion of the US air force base" and "Yanke go back".

A Japanese friend told me: "Do you know? When we were not self-sufficient in food, our farmers' fields were cut down piece by piece. You won't believe it, but there are more than 800 US military bases. It’s all over the land of Japan. Did you see the struggle of the people of Sunagawa Town, Tokyo against the expansion of the US Air Force Base in Tachikawa reported in the newspapers these two days? The people will not surrender, it’s their life and death moment!” At a dinner party, only a few close friends were discussing.When talking about my daily life, one of my Japanese classmates suddenly asked me, "Do you pay taxes?" She confused me.She said with a wry smile: "How lucky you are, you hardly know what it is to pay taxes! Here in our country, everything has taxes, and taxes weigh us down..."

After dinner, we thanked the host, but the host handed each of us an envelope. When I came back and opened it, it turned out that it was a symposium hosted by "Women's Pictorial", and our conversations were all written down for publication.The 10,000 yen in this envelope is a reward for us.The receipt--if I remember correctly--was eleven thousand seven hundred and sixty dollars, and that one thousand seven hundred and sixty dollars was "tax." In the car, while looking around, a Japanese friend who entertained us asked me: "Do you think our Japanese women's clothing is more sophisticated than before?" I smiled and nodded and said yes.She smiled bleakly and said: "It's not because of the improvement of life, it's related to the 'prostitution' issue!" When I looked at her in surprise, she said: "I'm not exaggerating at all, the poverty in the countryside , the collapse of industry and commerce has forced tens of thousands of Japanese women to take the road of "prostitution". It is said that there are hundreds of thousands of prostitutes in Tokyo alone. This is a serious social problem!"

A Japanese nanny who had helped me at my Tokyo home came to see me at the hotel at eleven o'clock at night.She asked about my children's study situation very kindly, and she sighed and said: "Your burden is not light, you spend a lot of money in universities and colleges." I smiled and said: "Tell you I am also happy, I have never been so relaxed in my life! My children are studying in college and high school, and I only pay for their monthly food expenses. Those college students whose families are poorer and cannot afford the food expenses, the state still needs to subsidize them Yes..." She was silent for a while, and said: "My eldest child should go to a higher school, and the tuition fees of private schools are too expensive. When he went to sign up, the school simply advised him not to take the test; Schools also cost a lot of money.

He cried to me, he said: 'Mom, I'm sorry for you!Since your father died, you have worked hard for us for many years, and now you are studying for me, you have to work twice as much night and day.I think if I don't study, my future employment will be a problem again. ' Our life..." She couldn't continue. I stroked her shoulder, and didn't know what to say. After a while, she wiped her tears silently, took a pin of a dove of peace I gave her, Left a picture of her and her two children, and bowed deeply to say goodbye to me. I sent her out, watching her thin back, disappearing into the deep night... such a sad little story , I can’t finish writing. Let’s talk about the vast Japanese people, from the painful experience, they have awakened and worked hard, and they are full of the spirit of moving forward with confidence!

On the car back to the hotel from Tokyo University, the young Japanese who accompanied me asked me with a smile on his face: "Mr. Xie, do you think our youth has changed? Has it improved?" I said: "What else? I didn't notice it, but today there are more female students asking questions than before, aren't they vying to raise their hands?" He smiled and said: "Exactly! Let me tell you that in Japan's peace movement, young people and women are two powerful new forces. Without them, this movement would not be so broad and deep. In the past, we were often depressed, pessimistic, female classmates We were also shy and timid. Now we are not like that! We know we are not alone, we are a small team in a big army of peace in the world. 'Unity is strength', you always sing that song, don't you ?” The sunset glowed on his face, and I will never forget that extremely cute and powerful smile!I have seen this smile constantly in China for decades, and it is not the first time I have seen it even in Japan!

In the cafeteria in the basement, we waited to go upstairs for a meeting.Several young people surrounded us.A male student pointed to a female student and said: "She is ashamed to tell you that she is a very good singer. We are promoting a singing movement. We go to the countryside, to factories, to schools, and we Sing with everyone. Some are original songs, some are our new ones, we sang out our pain, happiness and hope together... I hope you have the opportunity to listen to our singing.” I heard this "song" at the Tokyo Conference of the World Conference on Prohibition of Atomic Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs!It was a chorus of more than a thousand people.They sang the "March of Youth," "Song of the Happy Life," and other songs.These songs are majestic and lively, quite different from the "sentimental" tunes I used to hear in Japan.The Japanese people are cheering up!

At Hiroshima Station, we were saying goodbye to the people who were seeing us off, when suddenly the waves of the crowd parted, and three or four young girls squeezed forward and held our hands tightly.These sick and injured atomic bomb victims, who were always ashamed to "show their faces" in front of others, sat across from us that morning, still bowing their heads and sobbing, and now they rushed to this "sea of ​​people", which greatly moved me! When the train started, they let go of our hands from the window, waved the handkerchiefs soaked with hot tears to us, and shouted: "We will definitely remember, we must live bravely, and we must always fight for peace." Keep fighting!"

We must also remember, and will always remember, the Japanese people who fought for independence, peace and democracy in difficult circumstances. The power of the people is invincible, and the Japanese people fighting for peace and independence will surely win! (This article was originally published in "People's Daily" on September 27, 1955, and later included in the collection of essays "After Returning".)