Be on guard against attempts to revive militarism in Japan

May 5, 1987

Friendly relations between China and Japan and between our two peoples began to develop in the era of Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai. Many of our friends in Japan, including those from political, academic and press circles, have worked hard and accomplished a great deal over the last several decades. One of the pioneers who have been helping to promote good relations between the two countries is Mr. Tokuma Utsunomiya. All of our friends present here today have been working for dozens of years to improve relations between China and Japan. The Chinese people hope for good relations with the Japanese people, and more than 90 per cent of Japanese also want to see good relations between the two countries.

If there is anything the matter in Sino-Japanese relations, it is the possibility that a handful of people in Japan, some of whom probably have political influence, may revive militarism there -- that is what the Chinese are concerned about. It's the only thing that worries us. But the Chinese people are glad to see that the overwhelming majority of Japanese are opposed to such a revival. Over the last century Japanese militarism has brought suffering not only to the Chinese people and to the peoples of other Asian countries but also to the Japanese people themselves. We think the many people in press and political circles in Japan who criticize militarism and are on guard against its revival are to be commended. Not only should efforts to criticize and expose this tendency be stepped up, but more should be done to promote good relations between our two countries and peoples and to deepen our friendship and our understanding of each other.

The slogan "the Chinese and Japanese peoples should live in friendship from generation to generation" represents an ideal for all of us. We should remember that this slogan was not proposed today but more than thirty years ago. Furthermore, it was proposed not by one individual but by both the Chinese and Japanese.

(Excerpt from a talk with Tokuma Utsunomiya, President of the Japanese-Chinese Friendship Association and member of the Japanese House of Councillors, and other friends from Japan.)

(From Selected Works of Deng Xiaoping, Volume III <1982-1992>)