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China-Japan Youth Exchange
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Soka Gakkai youth and ACYF representatives lay a wreath at the memorial dedicated to atomic bomb victims.
[Seikyo Shimbun] |
On April 3, a delegation from the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF), led by Zhang Xuejun, vice chair of the Children's Work Committee, traveled to Hiroshima city, which is commemorating the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing (August 6, 1945). This visit by the ACYF was the latest in a regular series of exchange visits with the Soka Gakkai youth division, beginning in 1985. It came at a time of considerable tension in relations between China and Japan.
The ACYF delegates and Japanese Soka Gakkai youth representatives placed flowers at a Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park monument for atomic bomb victims. The delegation then visited the Soka Gakkai Hiroshima Peace Center to meet with Soka Gakkai youth representatives from Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa, three areas of Japan that suffered the heaviest toll in human lives during World War II.
In a keynote speech, Jiangsu Province Youth Federation Vice Secretary General Liu Canming pointed to the atomic bombing in August 1945, as a tragic event in humanity's history. Hailing from Nanjing, he also felt compelled to mention the Nanjing
Massacre--the mass murder of Chinese people committed by the Japanese Imperial Army during the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).
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ACYF delegates being welcomed by the Soka Gakkai Boys and Girls Choir in Osaka
[Seikyo Shimbun] |
Zhang Xuejun shared his "four steps" to achieving peace. The first is for all humanity to link arms and take action toward the future as members of the "global village." Second is self-reflection. With a clear perspective of history and courageous self-examination, humanity can progress. The third step is exchange based on dialogue. And the fourth is providing children with unbiased education and therefore handing down to posterity an accurate understanding of history.
Soka Gakkai Youth Peace Conference (YPC) Chair Kimiaki Kawai expressed his view of the importance of strengthening respect and appreciation for China and its people with a correct perspective of history, because mutual trust is the basis for enduring friendship between China and Japan. As a Japanese person, he expressed deep remorse for the past atrocities Japan committed against China during the war, and he reaffirmed that the YPC is committed to building peace, continuing the legacy of the founding presidents of the Soka Gakkai.
Soka Gakkai Young Women's Peace and Culture Conference Chair Noriko Kamijo spoke about her impression of visiting China three years ago and meeting with Chinese women representatives. She was touched by their efforts to surmount painful memories and sow future seeds of peace. Quoting a Chinese saying, "Do not forget the past, but instead make it a lesson for the future," she stressed that the Japanese should take this spirit to heart.
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