Japan's culture exchange chief welcomes President Hu's visit

TOKYO, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Takashi Tsujii, chief of Japan-China Culture Exchange Association, expressed his warm welcome to Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Japan in an article published Thursday.

President Hu's scheduled visit to Japan in early May as well as a series of earlier exchange of high-level visits between the two nations, including Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's visit to China last year following Premier Wen Jiabao's Japan tour, is a great delight indeed, said Tsujii in his article entitled "Welcome President Hu to Japan."

China and Japan had enjoyed a long friendly history, but in the days following Meiji Restoration, bilateral relations sank into misery, said the article carried on the first page of the Japan-China Culture Exchange journal Thursday.

That is because Japan, entering into industrialization age, became a barbaric imperialist country, which neglected the ideal and spirit of Meiji Restoration, the article said.

"We should reflect on history, further promote bilateral friendly and strategically reciprocal relations and produce brilliant cultural blossoms of peace based on solid foundation," said the article.

The Japan-China friendly relations are not only "conducive to Japan" and "what peace-loving people look forward to," but also "of great importance to world stability," Tsujii wrote.

"Japan should not interfere in, nor should it be overly responsive to domestic affairs of Asian countries," he continued. "Adopting an attitude aimed at promoting friendly relations is the peaceful path for Asia."

Japan-China Culture Exchange is a monthly published by Japan-China Culture Exchange Association, with each issue coming off the press on the first day of the month.