This is the article I wrote in June. I've translated it into English this time, because I hope many foreigners will know the realities of China and how Japan (and Taiwan) is pressed unjustly by China now. I'm thankful if you inform me of any grammatical mistakes you find. (August 2005)

               The Enemy of Japan         Japanese version

 -- is China.
 Being shocked by the anti-Japan demonstrations held in many cities in April this year, I've read various books, blogs and dairy news on China for two months. What came into my sight during the process was the surprising realities of that country, and I reflected upon how I had been ignorant of China. I also noticed that I couldn't tell about present Japan without correct knowledge of China. Here I compile my recognitions and opinions on the China problem, which is the most serious to Japan now as well as the North Korea problem.


         There was no Nanking Massacre
 What surprised me most among the books on China I read this time was "The exhausive study on Nanking Massacre" written by Higashinakano Shudou. I had thought that it can't be helped that Japan has been blamed because there was Nanking Massacre anyway, even though the figure of "300,000 people" which Chinese people and government say at every opportunity is doubtful. I suppose many Japanese people think so even now. But Prof. Higashinakano says that there was no such incident. He says that Japanese soldiers fought by the rules as much as possible and hardly killed nor raped civilians intentionally, in contrast to Chinese soldiers. I couldn't easily believe that at first. But the empirical logic development of Prof. Higashinakano was quite persuasive, and after comparing it with other studies, I came to believe what he asserts in the end. I was obliged to make a fundamental review of the Japan-China War.
 Supposing there was no Nanking Massacre and it was no more than a Nanking fight, it can't be said that Japan was all to be blamed in the Japan-China War. We can't say that there was no intention at all to invade China inside Japanese Army. But there were certain movements in the Chinese side to provoke the Japanese Army and draw them into the inside of China, such as the secondary Shanghai Incident. The fight on the Marco Polo Bridge started by the firing from the Chinese side (there is a high possibility that some members of China Communist Party made the firing). And while the Japanese soldiers fought keeping the Hague Agreement on the whole, the Chinese soldiers killed many war prisoners and civilians brutally, such as Tongzhou Massacre. Summing up, there is no other way but to say that the Japan-China War was "a war".
 But, for the Japanese soldiers and people, the Japan-China War should have been avoided absolutely. At least, they should not have extended the battle front to South China. The conceit of the military who thought that they could easily defeat Chiang Kaishek. The lack of foresight of the military who thought that they could extend the battle front while depending oil upon America. What disastrous results they invited ! The war leaders in those days bore a profound guilt to Japanese people. And I think the 21 demands against China, the Murder of Zhg Zuolin with bombs and the Manchurian Incident before the Japan-China War were the aggressive actions of Japan.


         The problem of Japanese history textbooks
 If Nanking Massacre was not a historical fact but a fiction, various judgements can be derived from it. Firstly, the history textbooks of Tokyo Shoseki, Osaka Shoseki, Kyouiku Shuppan, Nihon Shoseki, Nihon Bunkyou Shuppan, Shimizu Shoin and Teikoku Shoin in which Nanking Massacre is written stately are distorting history. And that this is the evil kind of distortion which makes Japanese people have the groundless sense of guilt. On the other hand, the textbook of Fusousha has a balance. Asahi Shimbun (Newspaper) and left-wing people often reproach that this textbook affirms the war of invasion, but it's far from the truth. Reading and comparing them coolly, regarding the description of that war, I think all the textbooks except Fusousha's are masochistic and Fusousha's is the most standard and objective.
 The Chinese government and Chinese young people who participated the anti-Japan demonstrations reproached that Fusousha's textbook was distorting history, but it had no grounds at all. First of all, they had not read Fusousha's textbook. And which was more amazing, it proved out that even Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, who insisted on it strongly at the foreign ministerial conference between Japan and China, had not read it, either. --- The problem of Japanese history textbooks doesn't exist. If it exists, it's that Nanking Massacre is written stately and the Japan-China War is described masochistically in all the textbooks except Fusousha's.


         The problem of the Chinese history textbook
 On the other hand, how about the Chinese history textbook? As I read it for the first time, I was surprised to know how terrible it is. While it describes on and on about the false brutal acts of Japanese soldiers, it never touches the brutal acts of Chinese soldiers. Though it was mainly Kokumintang Party (National Party) who fought with Japanese Army in those days, it tells that it was the China Communist Party who did so. The history after the WWII is full of hidings and distortion, too, and I wondered whether it was a history textbook or a propaganda of CCP. It's just the big problem that China is hiding and distorting historical facts.
 Children in general believe what a history textbook says, and form their views of the world and identities based on this. But what will happen if it's filled with lies? They might not be able to have common knowledge with foreign people at all, and might go through serious identity crisis in case they go abroad to study, for example. It can be said that they are poor to be educated in this way, but we don't have to feel compassion with them. Because it's the deep-rooted hatred to us, Japanese people that was planted to their hearts by the education in this case. The other day, I found these words of a Chinese living in Japan in a weekly magazine. --- "There are not a few Chinese who think it's no problem whatever they do against Japanese people, because they once acted so cruelly against Chinese people."
 Education has really dreadful power. The education done in China now threatens the lives, security and property of Japanese people directly. It's necessary that the Japanese government demands the Chinese government to rewrite their history textbook and protest against their anti-Japan education, saying "China should recognize history correctly and take lessons from history."


         The problem of the visit to Yasukuni Shrine
 The Chinese government says, "Because the Class A war criminals are enshrined in Yasukuni Shrine, Prime Minister's visit there means his affirming the war of invasion." We can object in four points to this reproach repeated like a tape-recorder.
 1. As I mentioned previously, it can't be said that the Japan-China War was that of Japanese invasion. We have no other way but to say it was "a war."
 2. It's recognized that the Class A war criminals are those who committed "the crime against peace". But it was ex post facto law which was made up in order to make them guilty in the Tokyo Tribunal, and there wes no validity that they were judged by this. Indeed, there have been no persons who were judged by "the crime against peace" in the case of any wars after the WWII.
 3. After signing the San Fransisco Treaty, the Japanese government gave absolution to the Class A war criminals with the consent of the regarding countries. As Mr. Morimoto, Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Labour and Welfare said correctly the other day, "The Class A war criminals are no longer criminals."
 4. If Prime Minister Koizumi says, "That war was a just war" or "Militarism is not wrong", that will be a problem. But he never said such words. He says he visits the shrine "to offer his sincere condolence for the war dead" "out of his feelings that war should never be happened again." Which point is wrong?
 Accordingly, the reproach by China is wrong and their interference in our domestic affairs. The problem lies in Chinese recognition of history, too, which is biased and favorable to themselves only. Some people say that Prime Minister should stop visiting the shrine to settle the problem amicably or that we should build a new national facility for mourning the war dead apart from Yasukuni Shrine, but I oppose to them. If such deeds are done, it comes to that we admit the unreasonable assertion of China. And even if such deeds are done, I'm sure China will cavil in different points. For example, the Class A war criminals are also mourned at the national rites for the war dead, it's also a problem that the Class B and Class C war criminals are enshrined in Yasukuni Shrine, and what is more, the responsibility of Tennou (Emperor) for the war has not yet been pursued, etc. etc. As Mr. Armitage, ex-Deputy State Secretary mentioned the other day, "If China tell him not to visit, he should visit."
 But I'd like to warn against the possibility of the spreading of such public opinion as that war was just and the war leaders were not wrong. Because it's very sure that they waged a thoughtless war and brought untold damage and unhappiness to Japanese people.


         The problem of Senkaku Islands and Japanese entry
         as a permanent member of the UN Security Council

 Senkaku Islands are in Japanese territory, as Japan has controled them effectively for a long time. The problem of Japanese entry as a permanent member of the UN Security Council is actually not even a problem. While Japan is a democratic country and has been a pacifist country for 60 years after the WWII, China is an autocratic communist country and has repeated conflicts and wars against neighbor countries, posing a threat to other countries. While Japan pays 20 % of the financial contributions to the UN, China pays 2 % only. It's quite natural that Japan becomes a permanent member of the UN Security Council, but it's doubtful that China is qualified as that. And we have seen in the Cold War years that the UN Security Council often ceased to function because five countries have veto right. I think it's better to do away with veto right.


         The anti-Japan demonstrations
 It seems that the anti-Japan demonstrations this time were made after some Chinese living in America had called for preventing Japan from entering as a permanent member of the UN Security Council through internet, but there were also some movements that the Chinese government themselves seem to have pulled the strings behind the scenes. Anyways, though they were peaceful demonstrations at first, they became violent with the increase of the participants along the way against the proposers' intention, and Japanese restaurants and embassy were attacked and damaged seriously. Policemen saw the scenes, but they didn't stop them. And especially, despite the Chinese government has responsibility for the security of the embassy, they didn't apologize to Japan, saying that the demonstrations were caused by Japan. In other words, they violated the Vienna Convention.
 As I mentioned previously, Japan has no faults with the problems of her history textbooks, Prime Minister's visit to Yasukuni Shrine, Senkaku Islands and her entry as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, which the Chinese government asserted as the causes of the demonstrations. On the contrary, they are the problems caused by their wrong recognition of history. Some people say that young people made the anti-Japan demonstrations as the outlet for their complaint with the Communist Party, and I admit this is to the point to some extent. But what became clear among all was how many young Chinese hate Japan so strongly now. And what planted and grew the hatred is of course the anti-Japan education done by the Chinese government. Regarding the anti-Japan demonstrations this time, the Chinese government was completely wrong.
 However, it might be said that the anti-Japan demonstrations this time brought the only one good result. It's that they caused common Japanese people including me who had not have so much concern with China to have concern with China, and that they caused the Japanese people who had had vague and good impression on China or who had thought that the friendly relashionship between Japan and China was good to have strong doubt. "China may be a monstrous country." --- And the more I knew about China, the more I came to realize that it's true.


         Under the name of Japan-China friendship
 On April 17, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing didn't apologize to Forein Minister Machimura in the conference held in Beijing but gave out these words.
 "China has never done wrong to Japanese people."
 This was far from the recognition of Japanese people. For example,
 1. The rude manners of Chinese supporters in the Asian Cup soccer tournament
 2. The invasions of Chinese submarines into Japanese territorial waters.
 3. The border line China decided unilaterally and the development plan of Chunxiao gas field
 4. The high number of crimes by the Chinese in Japan (They are the worst in number both in the crime rate and in the violent crime rate)
 5. Their persistent reproach toward Japanese history textbooks and Prime Minister's visit to Yasukuni Shrine
 6. Their deployment of nuclear missiles to the major cities of Japan
 On the other hand, what has Japan done to China? The ODA of 3.3 trillion yen in total. The low-interest loan by ex-Export-Import Bank of Japan of nearly the same amount in total. The aid of 6.6 trillion yen in grand total. China has spent this abundant money to build airports, railways, subways, roads, buildings, hospitals, electlic generating stations, water and sewerage systems, telephone network, to prevent desertification, and so on. (But they never told that to their people and seldom expressed their thanks to Japan. And indeed, when the Japanese government decided to stop the ODA in 2008, I hear that a high official in the Chinese government said in a threatening tone, "Such a deed may cause a big trouble.") And of course, there has been Japanese money investigation, building factories and transfering technology in China. About 16,000 Japanese companies have advanced to China, employed many Chinese and contributed much to the development of Chinese economy.
 To sum up, China has troubled Japan much, contrary to the words of Foreign Minister Li, and Japan has done many good things for China. But China didn't apologize even when they troubled Japan, and China seldom thanked even when Japan did good for China. And indeed, the more Japan did good for China, the more the Chinese government reproached Japan, developed massive anti-Japan education and many Chinese came to hate Japan. What grotesque things have been done since the restoration of deplomatic ties between Japan and China in 1972, under the name of Japan-China friendship !


         The realities of China
 Let's see next the realities of China. Those who only get information from newspapers and TV will surely be surprised.
 1. There is terrible income gap between arban areas and rural areas. While a handful rich people have appeared, about a billion people remain poor. The giant market of 1.3 billion people is an illusion.
 2. The high growth of Chinese economy has been supported by the money investigation from abroad, the advance of foreign companies, the ODA of Japan, etc. and the real economic conditions are quite risky. Most national companies are deep in red and the bad debts of banks are huge. China has kept the Yuan rate cheap by the intervention of the government, exported plenty of cheep products all over the world and earned a profit. But she is now getting the pressure of Yuan appreciation from America and EU, who are bothered by the inflow of Chinese clothes like a flood.
 3. China doesn't have her own original technology, because she has hardly done the reserch and development, which need time, money and efforts. Instead, she is really skilled at stealing technology and making imitations. She sent industrial spies into the companies and laboratories of America, Japan, Europe one after another, and stole technology. And according to the latest statistics, 8 % of Chinese GDP depends upon selling imitations. Chinese people have no sense that making imitations and infringing intellectual property rights are illegal and the government doesn't control them in a serious mind.
 4. China is trying to get plenty of oil from all over the world. This is called "China's gulping oil" and is just the cause of recent oil price soaring. China is also buying a lot of steal from abroad.
 5. The official corruption is serious. There were as many as 36,500 corruption cases last year, just according to the announcement of the government. I hear the foreign companies that advanced into China are demanded bribe at every opportunity.
 6. The Chinese government has completed the internet censorship system by pouring plenty of money and staff. The people can't have access to foreign sites, and the sites and posts unfavorable to China Communist Party are deleted instantly. However large the internet population may become, they don't have the freedom of speech nor getting informations. They only have the illusion of freedom.
 7. The Chinese government unilaterally takes the lands that they decided to develop away from the residents and gives them just a small amount of money. It's said that as many as 74,000 riots, disturbances and protest activities a year are broken out in China by the people who were deprived of their lands this way, the victims of pollution-caused diseases, the farmers in deep poverty, the unpayed workers, and so on. Most of them don't become public news.
 8. The environment pollution is serious. The soot emmissions in the big cities of China are the most terrible in the world now. Water and vegetables are polluted, too, causing the spread of ill health.
 9. New diseases break out one after another from China under poor sanitary conditions. SARS and bird influenza spread from China. I hear there are about 10 million AIDS patients.
 10. The Chinese government is suppressing Tibetans and Uighurs, torturing and killing them violently. They are also sending lots of Han people there and doing ethnic cleansing.
 11. The Chinese government is forcibly sending back the people who escaped from North Korea, knowing that harsh punishment and death are waiting for them. China is also the largest aid donor to North Korea.
 12. Human trafficking is being done even now. It's said that especially young women and children are targeted, kidnapped and sold out.
 13. They are capturing Falun Gong believers, democracy campaigners and Christians and givng them tortures and harsh punishments.
 14. They are rapidly increasing their military power. They deprived of the Parcel Islands, the Spratly Islands, and are going to deprive Japan from Senkaku Islands now. They are also aiming at the annexation of Taiwan of course. China is the only country in the world now that is planning the imperialistic territorial expansion.
 I found these words in a certain blog the other day. "You should not regard China like a big South Korea. China is a big North Korea." --- I think that's to the point. China destroys the environment, violates human rights and threatens other countries. Should we be friendly with such a country?


         What China Communist Party really is
 Let's see next the characteristics of China Communist Party solely dominating Chinese people. Please view
this site as a preliminary knowledge.
 1. CCP never apologizes. --- In the Japan-China foreign ministerial conference in Beijing on April 17, in the Japan-China summit meeting in Bandung on April 23, and when Deputy Prime Minister Wu Yi cancelled the meeting with Prime Minister Koizumi just before it and returned to her country on May 23, China didn't apologized a word. Because if she had done so, it would have meant that she admitted that CCP had committed a mistake.
 2. CCP doesn't place value on truth. --- As I mentioned previously, the history textbook of China is full of distortion and hidings. CCP is going so far as censoring internet so that people may not know the facts unfavorable to them. They try concealing epidemics, pollution diseases and riots as much as possible. Truth is valueless. What is valuable is CCP alone.
 3. CCP doesn't believe words. --- The top staff of the Chinese government often say that they are anxious about the revival of Japanese militarism, but in fact, they have enough knowledge that there is no such possibility at all. They are repeating so, only because it works for offending Japan and it's convenient to them that people assume Japan is a horrible country. And CCP had thrown away the principle of communism long time ago, and even say with a straight face that they want capitalists to be their members. They use words as a mere instrument to coerce, deceive and conciliate.
 4. CCP doesn't make much of human life. --- It's said that 800 million people are in poverty and 200 million, in extreme poverty in China now. Rapid and mindless industrialization has caused the pollution of water, air and lands, and the health of people is being undermined. A rush of riots are crushed with force, and many people are hurt and killed. Such people as Tibetans and Falun Gong believer who did nothing wrong are being put to ruthless torture. Mao Tsetung is supposed to have killed more than 80 million Chinese people, and I hear he once said that mass murder in every 7 or 8 years is necessary to make people keep on having fear. And so, Tiananmen Massacre would have been necessary, too.
 5. CCP only value power. --- CCP doesn't make much of words, truth, human life, human rights, laws and rules, and only make much of power. I hear a top staff of the Chinese government (whose name I can't remember now) once said that national border is decided according to the power balance on each occasion. China is the only country in the world now that has the ambition of invading neighbor countries and expanding her territory. Just as Kim Jongil relys solely on his army, CCP relys solely on the police, the security police and People's Liberation Army. (Not on people at all.) Just as the purpose of Kim Jongil is to maintain Kim Jongil regime, that of CCP is to maintain the one-party regime. CCP will never allow democratization.


          China as a criterion
 China Communist Party is the evilest political party that has killed people most in number in human history, and China dominated solely by CCP is the evil country, too. So there is almost no mistaken if you judge that a man who obey China is a bad man and a man who doesn't is a good man. For example, Prime Minister Koizumi is right because he doesn't obey China regarding the Yasukuni problem. On the other hand, those who assert that Japan should accept what China demands are wrong, such as Mr. Okada, leader of Minshutou (Democratic Party), Mr. Sengoku, its Diet member, Ms. Fukushima, leader of Shamintou (Social Democratic Party) and Mr. Kanzaki, leader of Koumeitou (Koumei Party). And there are not a few politicians who assert so in Jimintou (Liberal Democratic Party), too. As three politicians, Kouno Youhei, Tanaka Makiko, Nonaka Hiromu are especially marked, I think it was really lucky that those persons were not a minister nor the secretary general at the time of the anti-Japan demonstrations. (If Tanaka Makiko had been Foreign Minister for example, it would surely have caused terrible result.) Kouno Youhei, Speaker of the House of Representatives, invited five former prime ministers, Kaifu, Miyazawa, Murayama, Hashimoto and Mori on June 2nd, and suggested that Prime Minister Koizumi should stop visiting Yasukuni Shrine. Kouno Youhei who went so far as violating the principle of the separation of the three powers in order to serve China is irritating. But I was amazed more with five former prime ministers who easily backed up his suggestion. Don't they have a mind of protecting our country?
 Speaking of newspapers, Asahi, Mainichi and Nihon Keizai are backing up China, and Sankei is confronting China. (I hold my judgement toward Yomiuri, because I can't understand its stanse clearly now.) Especially, Asahi Shimbun seems to have the sinful past, such as praising China's Cultural Revolutions to the skies, picking up the Yasukuni problem and offering great material for China to offend Japan, etc. Speaking of news programs on TV, "Houdou Station" of TV Asahi under Asahi Shimbun and "News 23" of TBS under Mainichi Shimbun are backing up China, and "News JAPAN" of Fuji TV under Sankei Shimbun is confronting China. I don't go so far as saying that NHK is backing up China. But NHK hardly tries to explore the problems or the dark side of China, and looks like a passive supporter of China, maybe because it has been forming partnership with the national TV station of China. However, this doesn't apply solely to NHK, and the news reports on China by Japanese newspapers and TV are really supercifial on the whole. Though the incidents showing the deterioration of economic and social conditions or the unrest of China are happening almost every day, why don't they report them? Magazines and blogs are covering them up now. But many people get information from TV and newspapers, and they remain unknown to them.
 Speaking of intellectuals, such persons as Hirayama Ikuo, Ooe Kenzaburou and Katou Shuuichi are friends of China. I don't know much about the left-wing ideology. But it seems to me that the left-wing people believe two fatal lies. One is that socialist countries are better than capitalist countries. The other is that if we give up weapons and protest peace, we are not attacked, as if to say that if we don't lock the house door and stick a paper on it saying, "Stealing is a bad thing", no one will break into our houses. --- Stupid theory. It's not because Japan has kept peace Constitution but because there was Japan-America Security Treaty and China was poor that Japan has not been attacked by other countries for 60 years after the WWII. Since the menace of China has become a reality now, I think we should amend the war-renouncing Article 9 to "Japan has an army for self-defense."
 Despite Japan restarted as a country that makes much of freedom, human rights and democracy after the WWII, there is still a tendency among people that they are not regarded as truly important things, maybe because they were not that people won for themselves. But I think a politician as a leader of the country, mass media and an intellectual as an enlightener to the people must always get back to those values. And if they give those values the higher ranking than gain and loss or band-aid peace, it will be impossible for them to be friendly with such a country as China, where there is no freedom, human rights nor democracy. The neighbor country with which Japan can be friendly and should be friendly is Taiwan alone at the present time.


         China as our enemy
 China Communist Party, which dominates people not by laws but by power and fear, repeats lies and fabrications and keeps on menacing neighbor countries, is just like old Communist Party of Soviet Union. In the latter half of 1980's, when the Berlin Wall was down and the communist dictatorship of Soviet Union and East European countries collapsed, the one-party dominance by CCP ought to have come to an end, too, normally. I think there were two main reasons why the things didn't go this way. One is that CCP was more foxy than CPSU. They employed such a slogan as "reform and opening-up", pretended as if China would become a free and open country and attracted foreign investiment. The other is that the advanced countries helped CCP, partly because they were much taken in and partly because they were dazzled by the illusion of 1.3 billion consumers. Japan was incomparably simple-minded among them. She provided financial aid of as much as 6.6 trillion yen, and even when the Western countries imposed economic sanctions on China after the Tiananmen Massacre, she didn't go along with them. The result was that China got power, came to take an overbearing attitude, threaten Japanese territory and repeat intervening in Japanese domestic affairs publicly. So, how should Japan face China hereafter? I think these are the ways.
 1. To stop Japan-China friendship policy --- "Japan-China friendship" that China often says means nothing but "Japan must obey China." It's necessary that the Japanese government says NO to "Japan-China friendship" with courage. Above all, the anti-Japan education was the primary cause of the anti-Japan demonstrations this time. The Japanese government should demand its stopping.
 2. To cut off the ODA --- To stop the anti-Japan education and to apologize and compensate for the anti-Japan demonstrations this time. I think the Japanese government should demand these at least from the Chinese government, and cut off the ODA if they don't accept it.
 3. To refuse new aid --- Just days ago, the Chinese government demanded that Japan should provide 1 trillion yen for the desposal of chemical weapons the Japanese army had abandoned. It proved out that China has become an arrogant sponge country now. And as I forecast that China will demand water in the near future, Japan should refuse it strongly in such a case. Water is the valuable asset that the Japanese has carefully preserved. We should not offer it to China.
 4. To transfer capital and move factories --- The Japanese government should inform Japanese companies of the realities and risks of China and urge them to move their factories to other countries. Taiwan, Southeast Asia countries, India ... there are lots of other countries that have good conditions and are friendly toward Japan.
 5. The yuan reform --- Japan should demand the yuan floating system or at least the yuan appreciation from China, together with Western countries.
 6. The protection of intellectual property rights --- Japan should press for the exposure of imitations and the protection of intellectual property rights, together with Western countries, too.
 7. The Senkaku Islands --- I think the Japanese government should insist clearly that they are in Japanese territory and send Jieitai (Self-Defence Forces) to stay there.
 8. To crack down on the Chinese living illegally in Japan --- It goes without saying.
 9. To make friendship with neighbor countries of China --- Japan should provide financial and physical support for such countries as Taiwan, Phillipines, Southeast Asia countries, India, Mongol and build a coalition against China. Especially Japan should strengthen friendly ties with Mongol that is anti-China and pro-Japan.
 10. To assert historical facts --- The Japanese government should assert that there was no Nanking Massacre and hardly any evidence of the brutal acts by Japanese army, Japan-China War started by the firing from the Chinese side, and so on, clarifying that the war can't be called that of invasion and remove the false accusation of Japanese soldiers. But if they assert toward China, she has no ear. So they should assert toward other countries in the world. Moreover, I think it's good for them to blurt out the historical facts China is hiding --- Tongzhou Massacre, the secondary Shanghai Incident, the Great Leap Forward, the Great Cultural Revolution, the invasion into Vietnam, Tiananmen Massacre, the suppression of Tibetans, etc. --- toward foreign media at every opprtunity. The most effective form of defense is attack.


         The future of China
 China Communist Party is the enemy of freedom, human rights and democracy, the disturber of the world economy, the promoter of pollution and environmental destruction, and the plunderer of Japanese territory and property. The Japanese who speak of Japan-China friendship are helping this huge evil, consciously or unconsciously. On the contrary, if Japan pull out of China, stop various aid and face China in a resolute attitude, I think it's highly possible that China will collapse in the near future. If China collapse, North Korea that depends food and oil upon China will collapse, too, automatically. That's just the desirable future for Japan and the world.
 I think the Japanese government should make efforts to make the one-party domination by CCP come to an end, urge the establishment of independent countries by Tibetans, Uighurs, Mongolians, etc. and the democratization of each new country (like NIS after the collapse of Soviet Union). But, even if they are all actualized, the Japanese government should not be off their guard easily against the country of Han people, because the trace of the anti-Japan education will remain long and they have strong feelings of racial discrimination called sinocentrism. Japan should keep confronting with the country of Han people for at least 50 years after this.


         Several misunderstandings about China
 1."Japan and China had kept friendly relationship for long ages." --- If we take friendly relationship as the equal and intimate relashionship, it never existed. First of all, China is a country that can't make a friend. She is never content unless she looks down upon neighbor countries. Though Japan never became a subject country of China unlike Korea, she sent envoys with tribute to Sui and Tang dynasty in the ancient days. But she stopped sending them in 894. She traded with Sung and Ming dynasty after that, but there were not so much traffic and communication of people. And at the time of Mongol invasions, she had completely hostile relations with China. In short, Japan had kept relations with China at a distance from ancient days. And just because of that, Japan could create her original culture and develop. It's only regrettable that Japan made a mistake of having active relations with China after the WWI.
 2."Japan and China belong to the same civilization." --- Many Japanese people might think so because Kanji is used and Chinese dishes are popular in Japan, but I think it's wrong. We have little in common except them, and the national character and culture are quite different. For example, while most Chinese are thoroughly egoistic and utilitalian, most Japanese feel them shameful. While most Chinese make slight of manners and laws, most Japanese keep them well. While the Chinese have no interest in making things and look down upon artisans, the Japanese like making things most in the world and respect artisans. It seems eggs are to throw in China, but they are to eat in Japan. --- The completely different civilization.
 So, which civilization does South Korea belong to? I think it's China. They are much alike in that both of them have stubborn self-centrism and anti-Japan feelings and can't have a friend country. The national colour of soccur game are clearly marked, too, red of China and South Korea and blue of Japan. But the Koreans have some resemblance with the Japanese, such as valuing sentiment and good manners. I think Japan-South Korea friendship may be possible in the future (though Japan-China friendship is impossible). But it's only on the conditions that the Koreans can change their distorted recognition of history.
 3."China has excellent culture." --- I don't intend to deny it completely of course. But I think Chinese culture was at the highest in the ancient days and followed a course of decline after that. There are two reasons for it. One is that oppression is the enemy of culture. Chinese history is in short that of the alternation of dynasties, and the pattern that just a handful of persons dominates all the rest people didn't change at all from ancient days. Whether they mentioned socialism or planned economy, the reality was no more than that the dominator changed from Emperor to the communist party. (China should call herself CCP Empire accurately instead of People's Republic of China.) And the other reason is that excellent culture isn't born from egoism and utilitarianism.
 Japanese culture is in contrast to this. It started imitating Chinese culture at first, but got Japanese originality soon, and I think it reached the higher level than Chinese culture in as early as Heian Period. It goes without saying that the representative example is "The Tale of Genji." Japanese culture repeated change and development after that, too, maintaining the traditions and accepting the new. Manga, animation, movie, music, literature, art, cuisine, fasion ... modern Japanese culture has given birth to first class works in many fields and is attracting many people in the world now. (Though I feel it personally regrettable that the culture of wooden building declined and the view of cities and towns has become unattracted, and that the natural environment has been harmed.)
 4."The 21st century is the era of China." --- If it become a reality, it's nothing but a nightmare. Who except the Chinese will be glad to see the world where human rights and rules are ignored, the natural environment is destroyed on a massive scale, the market is filled with imitations and national territories are invaded forcibly? Well, considering coolly, such a future will not come. But I think the international community should step forward to make efforts of preventing China from developing economy and getting massive political and military power. Because the prosperity of China is the nuisance to the world.
 5."Japan-China friendship is desirable." --- Wrong. Being told "a neighbor" or "a neighboring country", the innocent Japanese might feel like getting friendly. But there are countries or races that never realize good will in the world. It's right to resist the temptation and take a cool attitude. And looking over the world, we find many examples of neighbor countries on bad terms, because they have territorial issue. India and Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, Britain and Ireland, Germany and Poland ... Japan should think of "how to have discontact with China" instead of "how to have contact with China" hereafter. From Japan-China friendship to Japan-China unfriendliness and Japan-China confrontation. Japan should even think of the break of diplomatic relations.


         The last words a little personal
 Lastly, speaking a little personally, I had thought that domestic politics was more important than diplomacy till the time of the anti-Japan demonstrations. And I had subscribed Asahi Shimbun and supported Minshutou (Democratic Party). Even now, I think their assertions are mostly good in regard to domestic politics. But in regard to diplomacy, especially that toward China, Asahi Shimbun looks like a candle holder of China, and I've realized we can't leave the future of our country at all in the hands of Minshutou. (I regret now that I supported Minshutou in my previous article.) But I don't say Jimintou (Liberal Democratic Party) is good, either. The past prime ministers from Tanaka Kakuei to Mori Yoshirou had been led by China by the nose, and as for such politicians as Kouno Youhei and Tanaka Makiko, I wonder which countries they belong to. The Foreign Ministry that kept offering huge amount of ODA to China is much to be blamed, too.
 And I've come to have a better opinion of Prime Minister Koizumi, who has been doing well on the whole even in the difficult circumstances where many politicians, bureaucrats and mass media are taken in by China in this way. Though I still have a complaint that he is only defensive, there might be no help for it as he is surrounded by such a lot of people with pro-China stance. I wonder if it was because of his sharp sight or mere luckiness that he could make a line-up of ministers who can assert openly to China at this time, such as Mr. Machimura, Foreign Minister, Mr. Nakagawa, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Mr. Nakayama, Minister of Education and Science. (Though Mr. Kitagawa, Minister of Land and Transport is regrettable.) Many people say that they can't understand what Prime Minister Koizumi is thinking about. But it's relatively easy for me to understand him. He has something pure just like his name, and thinks of the nation and the people of Japan first, which I think would be the reason why he is supported by many Japanese people and well-liked by many foreign national leaders. --- Did I praise him too much? Though I have several complaints regarding domestic politics, I'd like to support Prime Minister Koizumi now.
 For the next several years, the China problem will be the most serious to Japan as well as the North Korea problem. In spite of that, those who back up China and those who confront China are mixed both in Jimintou and Minshutou now. (The other parties are out of the questions.) So I hope the political realignment will happen again and the party of just those who confront China will be born. The leader of the party is Abe Shinzou of course. And when the party becomes the government party and Mr. Abe becomes Prime Minister, we will be able to expect the Japan-China confrontation and the just offensive against that arrogant country for the first time.
 Wishing for the collaption of China Communist Party as soon as possible ...






         Excerpts from what is called "The opinion
         of breaking from Asia" by Fukuzawa Yukichi

 "Breaking from Asia" in his words actually means "breaking from China and Korea." "The East Asia community vision" that Minshutou is insisting now was already negated clearly by him 120 years ago. I admire anew the excellent insight of Fukuzawa Yukichi these days.

 Though Japan is located in the east of Asia, the mentality of the people has already moved from Asian obstinacy to Western civilization. But it's our unhappiness that we have two neighbour countries, China and Korea. The Chinese, the Koreans and the Japanese have lived with the same Asian politics, religion, customs and manners from ancient days. But when we compare the three countries, the similarity between China and Korea is more than that between Japan and them. They don't know the way to reform, personally and nationally, and I wonder if it's because of the difference of the original race or heredity or education. It's easy to look at or hear about the products of modern civilization nowadays due to the progress in transportation. But they are not moved by them and sticking to the past just as they did 1000 years ago. In this era of fast-evolving civilization, they can't think of education without the doctrines of Confucism. They value nothing but appearance, and in reality, they don't value truth nor morality. They are cruel, shameless and arrogant like those who don't know reflection.
 So how should we do? There is no time for Japan to wait until the time when our neighbour countries will wake up and develop together. Instead, we should break off the relations with them and go together with the countries of Western civilization. We should not treat China and Korea with special attitude only because they are our neighbour countries. We should treat them just as Western people do. The one who overlooks the evil of his bad friends gets a bad name together with them. I cut my connection with the bad friends of East Asia in my heart. (from the editorial article of "Jiji Shimpou" on March 16,1885)



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