Ｋｏｍａｋｉ Ｋｕｒｉｈａｒａ Ｈｅａｄｓ Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ Ｃｕｌｔｕｒａｌ Ｄｅｌｅｇａｔｉｏｎ ｔｏ Ｃｈｉｎａ

A Japanese cultural delegation led by famous actress Komaki Kurihara， council member of the Japan-China Cultural Exchange Association (JCCEA)， paid a visit to Beijing from May 15 to 18， 2005 at the invitation of the CPAFFC. State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan met with the delegation. CPAFFC President Chen Haosu and Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng respectively entertained the delegation. The delegation also attended a commemoration meeting for the publication of the Chinese version of Jottings While Smoking a Pipe， a collection of essays written by the late JCCEA President Ikuma Dan.

State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan Meeting with the Delegation

On the afternoon of May 17， State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan met with Komaki Kurihara and her party at the Great Hall of the People. Tang expressed his welcome to the Japanese cultural delegation’s visit to China and congratulations on the successful convening of the commemoration meeting for the publication of the Chinese version of the collection of essays written by the late JCCEA President Ikuma Dan， and spoke highly of the contributions made by Komaki Kurihara over the years to the promotion of Japan-China cultural exchanges.

Tang Jiaxuan said， under the leadership of all its previous presidents， the JCCEA for years has upheld correct views of history and worked hard for the promotion of cultural exchanges and friendly contacts between the two countries， and made contributions to the healthy development of China-Japan relations.

Tang continued， Ms. Komaki Kurihara is a famous actress well known to and liked by the Chinese people. At the early time of China’s reform and opening up， the films such as Thinking of Homeland starred by Ms. Kurihara evoked repercussions among the Chinese audience. Particularly since serving as council member of the JCCEA， Ms. Kurihara has upheld correct views of history， and done a great deal of work for the cause of Japan-China friendship and the exchanges and cooperation between the film circles of the two countries， for which we expressed our appreciation.

On Sino-Japanese relations， Tang said， currently， Sino-Japanese relations have met some difficulties. If this situation is not improved， it will not only do harms to the interests of the two countries， but also affect peace and stability in the Asian-Pacific region. In his recent meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Jakarta， President Hu Jintao initiated five proposals on the steady and healthy development of Sino-Japanese relations， pointing out a correct direction for changing the current difficult situation， which is of great importance. The Chinese Government’s consistent position of developing Sino-Japanese relations has remained unchanged. We hope that the two countries will keep long-term stable friendly relations， coexist peacefully， seek common grounds while shelving differences and seek common development， and that the two peoples will keep friendship from generation to generation. To realize this goal， it is essential for both sides to uphold the spirit of “using history as a mirror and looking to the future” and properly solve the problems existing in the bilateral relations. Thus， we hope that the Japanese Government will take concrete actions to solve a series of problems. Not long ago 60 Chinese and Japanese non-governmental organizations issued the Appeal for Peace and Good-Neighbourliness in Tokyo， demonstrating the consensus reached by the Chinese and Japanese non-governmental personages and expressing the common aspiration of the two peoples. We hope that at the time when Sino-Japanese relations have met difficulties， the personages of insight in the Japanese cultural circles will carry on the fine traditions of the older generation， do more work， uphold justice and make new efforts to promote the development of Sino-Japanese relations.

Komaki Kurihara and Norihiko Dan， son of Ikuma Dan， thanked State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan for meeting with them amidst his busy schedule. Kurihara said， at the commemoration meeting that morning， the members of the delegation were deeply touched by the Chinese friends’ deep friendship. After retuning home they will tell the Japanese people Chinese people’s friendly sentiments towards them. Though there have appeared some problems in Japan-China relations， and a small number of Japanese people and some Japanese politicians do not have a clear understanding of history， however， just as the late JCCEA President Ikuma Dan wrote in his articles， a lot of Japanese personages of insight have a correct understanding of history and profound feelings towards the Chinese people， and hope to convey this information to the Chinese people through the publication of the Chinese version of this collection of essays. Kurihara said that they would carry out the behest of the older generation and through rich and colourful cultural exchanges strengthen friendship between the Japanese and Chinese people and promote the development of friendly relations between the two countries.

CPAFFC President Chen Haosu Meeting with and Entertaining the Delegation

At noon on May 16， CPAFFC President Chen Haosu met with and entertained the delegation. He said， the JCCEA， an old friend of the Chinese people， has made great contributions to the Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges over the years. All the previous presidents of the JCCEA who were well-known figures in the Japanese cultural circles and had dedicated their lives to the cause of Sino-Japanese friendship， deserve our lasting memory. The year 2006 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the JCCEA. The CPAFFC is ready to cooperate with the JCCEA to hold all kinds of commemorative activities， hoping through various kinds of activities to educate the people， particularly the younger generation， so as to enhance mutual understanding and strengthen friendship between the two peoples.

Kurihara said that today’s Japan-China friendly relations had not come by easily， and that they should carry out the behest of the older generation and make greater contributions to the cause of Japan-China friendship.

Commemoration Meeting for Publication of Chinese Version of Ikuma Dan’s Collection of Essays

On the morning of May 17， the CPAFFC and the International Culture Publishing Corporation jointly held a commemoration meeting for the publication of the Chinese version of Jottings While Smoking a Pipe， a collection of essays written by the late JCCEA President Ikuma Dan. In his speech at the meeting， CPAFFC President Chen Haosu extended his congratulations on the publication of the Chinese version of the collection. Chen said， the publication of this book will surely play a positive role in enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. We should treasure the hard-won results achieved by the friendly personages of the older generation through their life-long efforts， and make our due contributions to promoting the healthy development of Sino-Japanese relations and cooperation in the cultural field between the two countries. Wu Zuqiang， member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and honorary president of the Chinese Musician’s Association， Liu Deyou， former vice minister of culture and executive vice president of the China International Culture Association， and Chen Jiangong， vice president of the Chinese Writers’ Association， as well as Norihiko Dan and Komaki Kurihara spoke at the meeting.