i received a mail from a japanese reader, since most of it are of great interest to many people at the moment, i think it's appropriate to re-post it here with the disguise of sender's name and other personal information:
It is sad to see your site has suddenly become empty and now filled by a very thoughtless Japanese comment. I can only guess how this happened. Through my debate with many Chinese participants I have learned the Chinese people's feelings as well as thoughts.
I went to an European country last Saturday to interview their journalists and people on street about the current clash between Japan and China and this footage was sent by satellite immediately for Sunday broadcasting. People in the capital city gave various comments but nobody wanted to see bloody nose between us. I think this is a very healthy third party's view.
Regarding the history books, I myself very much dislike the ones which stand on the right wing view; however, every Japanese text book including this one clearly states that Japan invaded China and inflicted substantial damage to Chinese. It would be much more effective if you would criticize us after careful study. I think most Japanese still have more or less guilty feelings towards the Chinese. This is why Japanese have carried on ODA aid over 15 years. They don't expect anything in return but a simple word of thanks. I only mention this as I noticed no one of the Chinese knew this or indeed most of the things Japan has done after 1945.
To argue this sensitive issue we must share the same information as much as possible. This is why I criticize your government's way of controlling information. This is a not an easy thing to solve and there is nothing the Japanese can do. I only believe you Chinese will find the solution some day. To come back to current topic, there are lots of problems in Japan. Let's see how Koizumi responds. If he stops going to Yasukuni, he would face the opposition from the right and newly joined anti Chinese element. If he goes, he will pass on another problem to the Foreign Ministry. This is the problem he started so he must finish it anyway.
May I suggest to close your anti Japanese sentiment site and resume under an alternative name in order to organize fresh, constructive and international debate. We all know there are government restrictions for Internet sites. I really want to see your new site after these difficulties are over.
also the reader provides a link to a bbc article here
thanks for this reader's mail, and i will make responses when i find some free time today.
i-san,
without sincere regrets from japan, there will never be forgiveness from china. is there an honest regret from japan? i think chinese people have the final say on that. would you expect chinese to forgive japan when the japanese PM worship the war criminals who murdered tens of millions of chinese again and again? would you expect chinese forgive japan when japanese government refused to make compensation to former sex slaves? would you expect chinese forgive japan when japanese government refused to provide a full indication where those japanese chemical weapons that killed dozens of chinese are? would you expect chinese to forgive japan when japanese government allowed the new history textbook that tells japanese children that "the rape of nanking" was an incident and "there is no country that didn't harm or mistreat unarmed persons during a war, and japan is no exception"? NO WAY. japanese ODA is dwarfed to non existense with such repetitive insults to chinese.
i agree with you that free flows of information will help the reconciliation between the two countries, but that is not the key part of the solution. unlike what you and many others believe, the anti-japan sentiments were not bred by so-called "anti-japan education" in the chinese education system. simply put it this way, it is not the past japan but TODAY's japan that makes chinese angry.
the recent anti-japan-right-wing protests are backward-looking knee jerk reactions to japan's refusal of facing its dark past, but it's not a 100% emotional thing. chinese have learned from the histroy what a self-centered japan means to its neighbors, in short, a self-centered japan is like the one who always cares for its self-interest and chooses to "confess" in a "prisoners delimma" scenario. although the settings are quite different today, a right-wing-dominated, self-centered japan reminds many of us that militaristic japan back in 1930s, and no doubt, such a japan could make any international dispute degenerate into a lose-lose situation. example? plenty.
i have confidence that japan, as a nation, could walk out of the shadows of the past by not denying it but facing it honeslty. china has her own problems in learning from the past for the future, and japan has its own, too. as for my "anti-japan posts", i think perhaps it's not a bad thing to keep them there as long as japanese right wing want to shape japan into the old japan by denying its dark past.
china