Chapter 117 Don't pollute the minds of Japanese generations

The creation and release of the film "An Unfinished Game of Chess" is timely. Ever since I heard the news that the Ministry of Education of Japan altered the Japanese militarists' invasion of China into "entry" in the history textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education, my heart has been churning in anger!Textbooks are responsible for educating and nurturing future generations. How can the Ministry of Education of Japan "cover up the world with one hand" and beautify the fact that a small group of Japanese militarists drove tens of thousands of Japanese people to invade Southeast Asian countries including China? Take action, change this bloody fact that involves the destruction of hundreds of millions of people on half the earth, and stealthily change it into the word "enter" which is an understatement!No wonder the people all over the world, especially the people of China, Japan and Southeast Asian countries asked angrily: "Is there such an 'entry' in the world?"

Leaving aside the fact that hundreds of millions of people in China and Southeast Asian countries had their own painful experiences during the period of Japanese imperialism, just talking about myself, as a Chinese born in the 20th century, is the best person in this period of history. Witnesses! I once wrote a poem in which I said: At that time, what surrounded me was: the flames of imperialism in the sky, the monsters of feudalism everywhere; bones piled up into mountains, blood and tears flowed into rivers, and there were more national humiliation commemorations than festivals! This is the China of my youth!

Yes, when I was young, I lived in such a disgraceful and disgraceful Chinese land!Most of these national humiliation commemorations were caused by Japanese militarists. "May 7th", "Twenty-One", "Jinan Massacre", "September 18th", "July 7th Incident", "August 13th"... Which national humiliation commemoration does not set off a picture in my mind? Witnessed and heard bloody pictures?When I was studying in the United States in the 1920s, after I had a few Japanese classmates, I deeply realized that the Japanese people are kind and peace-loving.Especially when I arrived in post-war Japan in the winter of 1946, I realized that the Japanese people, just like the Chinese people, were ruined by the Japanese militarists!I wrote in an article on "Return of Japan":

The ruins after the bombing, no lights on either side, no pedestrians on the roadside... I went out to have a look during the day, Ginza, the busiest place before the war, was almost empty in the big department stores... I went out to see what was there on New Year's Eve The scene, what I saw was a series of dark and dead streets, only the policemen with their heads shrunk against the cold wind, carrying dim lanterns, walking on the empty avenues.This night, the bells of the farewell year could not be heard, and all the bronze bells in the temple were forced to be donated to be used as weapons! ...I didn't sleep that night!

Afterwards, I met my Japanese classmates and their families, most of whom were haggard and haggard.Their houses were bombed, their books were burned, and we haven't gotten into anything else yet.Later, I talked with my classmates at the University of Tokyo next to the stove in the classroom (the heating pipes were also removed and donated as weapons) to talk about the two thousand years of exchanges between our two countries. The people of China and Japan must maintain friendship from generation to generation. This is the most important issue related to the peace of Southeast Asia and the world. I must replace my hatred for the Japanese militarists with sympathy for the Japanese people. Our Japanese friends will wholeheartedly strive for this great and noble goal!

As I write this, many sincere faces of my Japanese friends appear in front of my eyes: the late Mr. Jiichiro Matsumoto, Mr. Kenzo Nakajima, Ms. Yoko Matsuoka...and other living politicians, social Activists and writers, Mr. Yasushi Inoue, Mr. Toshio Miyagawa, Mr. Aiichiro Fujiyama, Mr. Yoshimi Furui, Mr. Tokuma Utsunomiya, Mr. Toshio Sochimitsu, Mr. Seiji Mao... They are all still fighting for the great cause of Sino-Japanese friendship Career, make your best effort.Ten years ago, in my article "Cherry Blossoms and Friendship", I wrote: The road to the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations has been paved hand in hand, brick by brick, stone by stone.This road has not been smooth in the past, and there will still be twists and turns in the future, and we may encounter difficulties and obstacles of one kind or another at any time.

How unfortunate!Ten years later, there was indeed this incident of tampering with textbooks that would pollute future generations of Japan! But then I write: confidence. "The people, and only the people, are the driving force behind the creation of world history." We are creating the history of peace in Asia and the world, and we Chinese people will be on both sides of this road, and the Yamazakura seedlings sent by the Japanese people will be neatly arranged. Once planted, we will carefully cultivate and water them with the cherished heart of a gardener, so that they will grow up vigorously and prosper together with our successors who insist on the friendship between the Chinese and Japanese people on the land of China. Let the cherry blossoms that bloom brilliantly year after year, with their color and fragrance, inspire our successors from generation to generation, and always work together with our Japanese friends to make continuous contributions to the great cause of peace in Asia and the world. Excellent contribution!

My limited years will not increase, but my courage and confidence to support "the friendship between the Chinese and Japanese people from generation to generation" has not diminished in the slightest.I believe in the successors of our two countries who uphold the friendship between the peoples! Let me repeat one more sentence: Please do not pollute the hearts of all generations of Japanese descendants!The people of China and Japan, who are striving to create a history of world peace, will never allow it.August 8, 1982