Foreign and Military Affairs
China mourns loss of Japanese friend
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-04 07:34
The Chinese government expressed its condolences over the death of Hirayama Ikuo, the Japanese painter who spent a good deal of his life bridging ties between China and his home country.
"Mr Hirayama was an old friend of ours," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang Thursday. "He dedicated himself to promoting friendships between China and Japan, and made important contributions to both countries."
"It is with deep sorrow that we have learned about his death," Qin said.
Hirayama was president of the Japan-China Friendship Association since 1992. He was also a traditional-style Japanese painter, known for his works of the Silk Road and for his dedication to preserving world cultural heritages. He died of a brain hemorrhage in Tokyo on Dec 2 at the age of 79.
Xu Dunxin, the former Chinese ambassador to Japan, said he was shocked by the news.
"The death of Hirayama Ikuo is a great loss to both Japan and China," Xu said.
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The Japanese painter visited Dunhuang many times and produced great works based on the site, Xu said, adding that as an artist, Ikuo was also politically active.
In the 1990s, Ikuo launched a campaign to jointly rebuild the city wall of Nanjing and erect a Sino-Japanese friendship bridge.
He said at the time: "To help renovate the ancient city wall of Nanjing is not an act simply for preserving cultural relics, but of extraordinary significance.
We should look squarely at history of the past war and never let the aggressive war be repeated. The future belongs to the young people, but they know little about history. The 21st century needs more young people to know about history and engage in the cause of Japan-China friendship."
Xu said Ikuo was a real old friend to China.
"I believe there will be more people like Hirayama in the future, and they will take on the responsibility to further deepen and promote the Sino-Japanese friendship."
