China-Japan ties: History offers more than pain

• Source: Global Times
• [02:01 November 13 2009]
• Comments

History often hurts, especially when it comes to China-Japan relations.

Iris Chang, who wrote the bestseller The Rape of Nanking, took her own life at the age of 36, and some attributed her suicide partly to the pain and depression she suffered researching and writing about the bloody massacre.

When Nanking! Nanking! and John Rabe, two movies about the Nanking Massacre, were shown in China early this year, a lot of people could not help weeping in cinemas.

But pain should not be the only thing history reminds us of.

Even in the tragic past marked by Japan's invasion of China during WWII, which took millions of innocent Chinese lives and has haunted China- Japan relations for decades, there are still warm memories of friendship, humanitarian care, familial affection and love.

History should not forget these, either.

The Japanese war orphans are an excellent example. About 2,800 Japanese orphans were adopted by Chinese families after WWII, and most of them returned to Japan in the 1980s and 1990s. As many of their foster parents have passed away, their trip back to China this week has turned out to be an emotional one.

One day after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao gave a warm welcome to the war orphans, Japanese Emperor Akihito said Thursday at a press conference marking the 20th anniversary of his ascension that he was worried about Japan's younger generation gradually forgetting history.

There have been numerous encouraging signs in China-Japan relations since Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama took office in September.