By Le Shui
乐水
China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang held a press conference and answered questions from Chinese and foreign media about China's foreign policy and external relations on March 7, 2023. When speaking of China-Japan relations, Qin stressed that to foster a China-Japan relationship for the new era, it is important to honor commitments, learn lessons from history, preserve the international order and promote win-win cooperation. These four points are the foundation of China-Japan relations in the new era and are also China's expectations for Japan.
3月7日，外交部长秦刚围绕“中国外交政策与对外关系”举行记者会。秦刚在谈到中日关系时强调，构建新时代中日关系，需要做到以下四点：言而有信，以史为鉴，维护秩序，互利共赢。这四点是新时代中日关系的基础，亦是中方对日方的期待。
Objectively speaking, the current China-Japan relations are in a sensitive period since the end of World War II, and the security structure in Asia is being challenged by Japan's military preparations. Japanese militarism once brought great suffering to the Asian people, and its every move affects the nerves of Asian countries. Japan must also take practical actions to win the trust of its Asian neighbors.
客观地说，当前的中日关系正处于二战结束以来的一个敏感时期，亚洲的安全格局正在因日本的强军备武而受到挑战。日本军国主义曾给亚洲人民带来深重苦难，其一举一动牵动着亚洲国家的神经，而日本也须以实际行动取信于亚洲邻国。
In 1972, China and Japan jointly issued the China-Japanese Joint Communique and made a commitment to "settle all disputes by peaceful means and shall refrain from the use or threat of force". In 1978, China and Japan signed the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship and jointly affirmed that "all disputes shall be settled by peaceful means without resorting to the use or threat of force". Japan's peace promise is still in the ears. However, the behavior of the Japanese government today makes people wonder how much sincerity it has.
1972年，中日两国政府共同发表《中日联合声明》，并作出“确认用和平手段解决彼此间的一切争端，而不诉诸武力和武力威胁”的承诺。1978年，中日两国签署《中日和平友好条约》，共同确认“用和平手段解决一切争端，而不诉诸武力和武力威胁”。日方的和平承诺言犹在耳，然而，今天日本政府的所作所为，却不禁让人怀疑其诚意尚存几何？
In December 2022, the Japanese government adopted three security policy documents namely National Security Strategy (NSS), National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) and Medium-Term Defense Program (MTDP). Instead of the traditional "exclusively defense-oriented strategy", Japan proposed in a high-profile manner that it will vigorously develop "counterattack capabilities". Subsequently, the Japanese government decided to significantly increase the defense budget for the fiscal year 2023 by 26 percent to 6.8 trillion yen ($51 billion). Among them, the budget for purchasing long-range offensive missiles increased most significantly and reached 1.4 trillion yen. There are indications that Japan is accelerating its re-militarization process.
去年12月，日本政府通过新版《国家安全保障战略》《国家防卫战略》《防卫力量整备计划》三份安保政策文件，一改传统的“专守防卫”原则，高调提出将大力发展“反击能力”。随后，日本政府又决定将2023财年防卫预算大幅提升26%至6.8万亿日元，其中用于采购远程攻击性导弹的预算增长最为显著，高达1.4万亿日元。种种迹象表明，日本正加速其重新军事化的进程。
The war of aggression launched by the Japanese militarism in the first half of the 20th century brought grave disasters to the Chinese and Asian people and left a dark page in the history of world civilization. However, Japan did not thoroughly reflect on and repent of the crimes it committed in history. Today, Japanese right-wing forces are still active in the political arena. From tampering with history textbooks to paying homage to the Yasukuni Shrine, from denying the Nanjing Massacre to shirking civil liability for compensation, the Japanese government has been downplaying and evading historical crimes for a long time, so it has never been able to gain the full trust of its Asian neighbors.
日本军国主义在20世纪上半叶所发动的侵略战争，给中国人民和亚洲人民带来深重灾难，在世界文明史上留下黑暗的一页。但是，战后的日本并未对自身在历史上犯下的罪行进行彻底反省和忏悔。时至今日，日本右翼势力仍活跃在政治舞台上。从篡改历史教科书到参拜靖国神社，从否认南京大屠杀到推卸民间赔偿责任……日本政府长期以来淡化和逃避历史罪责令其始终无法得到亚洲邻国的充分信任。
Moreover, Japan's irresponsible stance on the discharge of nuclear wastewater into the sea has once again exposed its "beggar-thy-neighbor" philosophy. According to the previous decision of the Japanese government, millions of tons of nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant will be discharged into the sea this year. For neighboring countries in Asia, the resulting nuclear pollution may seriously damage the surrounding marine environment and ecosystem and endanger the health of people in all countries. China, Russia, the ROK, the Philippines, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries have successively lodged protests in recent years, hoping that the Japanese government will fully consult with neighboring countries before launching nuclear wastewater discharge, and properly handle this matter in a responsible manner. However, the Japanese government insisted on going its own way and turned a deaf ear to the legitimate concerns of other countries. How can such "profit at the expense of others" and "beggar-thy-neighbor" practices of the Japanese government not disappoint and anger its Asian neighbors?
而且，日本在核污水排海问题上不负责任的立场再次暴露了其与邻为壑的“处世哲学”。根据日本政府的先前决定，福岛核电站的上百万吨核废水将于今年起被排入大海。对于亚洲邻国来说，由此引发的核污染恐将严重破坏周边海洋环境、生态系统，并危害各国人民的身体健康。中国、俄罗斯、韩国、菲律宾以及斐济等太平洋岛国近年接连提出抗议，希望日本政府在启动核污水排海之前与周边国家充分协商，以负责任的方式处置核污水。但是，日本政府却一意孤行，对其他国家的合理关切置若罔闻。日本政府这种损人利己、以邻为壑的做法，怎能不令亚洲邻国失望、愤慨？
Japan created an economic miracle that attracted worldwide attention after the war, which is inseparable from the path of peaceful development it chose at that time. Historical experience and lessons have repeatedly proved that the prosperity and development of a country cannot be separated from a peaceful and stable surrounding environment. Japan has been deeply poisoned by militarism, and it should have a deeper understanding of this. The world today is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century, and instability and uncertainty have increased significantly. At this new historical juncture, we hope that Japan can abide by its past peace commitments, build friendship and partnership with neighboring countries and never repeat the mistakes of the past.
日本在战后曾创造了举世瞩目的经济奇迹，这与其当时所选择的和平发展道路是分不开的。历史的经验与教训反复证明，一个国家的繁荣与发展离不开和平、稳定的周边环境。日本曾深受军国主义毒害，对此理应有更深刻的认识。当今世界正处于百年未有之大变局，不稳定性和不确定性显著增强。在新的历史节点，希望日本能够恪守昔日和平承诺，与邻为善、以邻为伴，切勿重蹈历史覆辙。
Editor's Note: This article is originally published on China.com.cn, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
