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China hails 'the conscience' of Japan
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-04 20:04
"The death of Mr. Shiro is a loss for righteous Japanese
people who dare acknowledge the truth of history and want to maintain friendship
between China and Japan," said Zhu Chengshan, top official at the memorial hall
for victims of the Nanjing Massacre, according to the Nanjing Morning News.
China's response to Shiro's death is a reminder of its sensitivity over
Japan's refusal to face up to its wartime past at a time when relations between
the two countries are at a low ebb.
China objects to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to
Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where major war criminals are honoured along with
millions of war dead. Beijing has denounced a school history textbook
whitewashes Japan's invasion and occupation of much of China from 1931 to 1945.
On Wednesday, Koizumi rejected Chinese criticism of his war shrine visits but
said he was committed to developing friendly ties with Bejing.
China has yet to respond to his remarks, but previously it has made clear
that it regards the shrine visits as totally unacceptable, because they seem to
make light of Japanese wartime guilt.
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