First Japanese naval visit brings memories, smiles to China since WWII

by Xinhua writers Ding Yimin, Fu Shuangqi, Zuo Yuanfeng

ZHANJIANG, Guangdong, June 28 (Xinhua) -- "Please send the love and friendship of the Chinese navy and people back to Japan," Lt. Gen. Su Shiliang, commander of the South Sea Fleet of China, said to Major-Gen. Shinichi Tokumaru of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.

After a five-day visit to China, Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer "Sazanami" left the southern Guangdong Province port city of Zhanjiang on Saturday morning.

Sazanami, with its 240-member crew, is the first Japanese warship to visit China since World War II.

During its five days in port, the Japanese crew visited the Chinese missile destroyer "Shenzhen" and toured Zhanjiang's urban area. They also played basketball, football and tug-of-war with the Chinese crew in the rain that has blasted southern China of late.

About 1,000 locals visited the Sazanami with smiles and excitement since it was opened to the public on Friday, the first time a visiting Japanese warship had been open to the Chinese public.

"I was always impressed by Japan's scientific and technological development," said Pan Chenkai, a 15-year-old middle school boy, after visiting the naval destroyer.

Pan was a local resident of Zhanjiang who has just finished his entrance examination for high school. "We should not only think negatively of Japan. We can learn from its advanced technology," he said.

The charcoal gray warship, with a Japanese national flag and a flag of the Self-Defense Forces flying fore and aft, berthed alongside the silver gray Chinese warship "Shenzhen" at the dock of Zhanjiang.

On Friday afternoon, the sky turned sunny after several days of rain brought by tropical storms. People boarded the ship, wearing sun hats and carrying digital cameras, relaxed as if going for an outing.

On the neat decks, all the major weapons -- such as the "vertical launch system" and the "close-in weapon system" -- had name signs enclosed in glass and aluminum picture frames.

Many visitors smiled and posed for photos beside a portrait of the ship's mascot, a legendary Japanese boy.

Among the crowds, some primary school children were queuing up to get onboard. A couple with a young son invited Japanese soldiers, who were clad in white uniforms, to have a photo taken with them.

Some children who came to visit on their summer vacation tried to talk with the Japanese guards in English. A few middle-aged andelderly ladies waited to get souvenir stamps for their postcards of the "Sazanami".

A group of young male engineering students were involved in a heated debate in front of some weapons. More just took pictures with the Japanese warship as the background.

At the dock, the melancholy strains of Peking opera could be heard, followed by the lively theme song of the popular Japanese cartoon series, Doraemon. The music was being played by the Chinese and Japanese military bands for visitors.

Jin Huixin, a 30-year-old Shanghai middle school teacher, had waited for a chance to visit a Japanese warship for many years. Jin, a warship enthusiast, flew to Zhanjiang to see the Japanese destroyer upon the first day it arrived.

"I have seen 23 warships from 15 countries that came to visit China, but I never had a chance to see a Japanese warship."

Despite the Japanese national flag on the ship, which still reminds many Chinese of Japanese military atrocities, the warship also brought smiles to the visitors.

"The visit shows that China and Japan have accepted each other and will promote a strategic, mutually beneficial relationship in the 21st century," said professor Gao Hong of the Institute of Japanese Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

China and Japan, neighboring countries separated by water, have been friends and rivals for thousands of years.

The sea has been a major channel in their history of exchange. Xu Fu, a Chinese religious figure, led a team to Japan and mixed with the natives on the islands 2,000 years ago. About 1,000 years ago, Jianzhen, a Chinese monk, was invited by the Japanese to spread the splendid Chinese culture in the territory.

But as Japan rapidly became a major power in the region during the 19th century, a battle broke out between the two countries on the sea in 1894, with the failure of the Chinese fleet. An unequal treaty was signed between China and Japan as consequence.

During 1931 and 1945, Japanese troops invaded China and the war lasted until the end of the World War II.

Resentment still remains between the two nations as there are disputes on history, sovereignty and the exploration of resources under the sea.

The military exchange came after another breakthrough in Sino-Japanese relations as a result of President Hu Jintao's landmark visit to Japan earlier this year. The two countries announced last week they reached a consensus in principle on the East China Sea issue.

"I'm especially interested in the missile system on the ship," Jin said. "Japan invaded us before, but now the relationship is peaceful and we should look forward to the future."

The destroyer, weighing in at 4,650 standard tons, set off from Hiroshima for a reciprocal visit; the Chinese missile destroyer "Shenzhen" docked in Japan late last year.

When the Japanese warship arrived on Tuesday, the Chinese navy held a reception for the visitors that evening.

At the beginning, the sailors from the two sides were reserved. But after a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere turned lively. Inspite of the language barrier, many tried to talk to each other at the reception.

"I thought the Japanese military men were quite rigid, but actually they are lively people and are well-educated," said navy officer Pan Lanbo, who works on the "Shenzhen" and visited Japan last November.

"I also think their weapons and management are very modernized."

Apart from the exchange of visits, officers from both sides held seminars to exchange experience with disaster relief and other activities.

Braving the rain on Wednesday, the Chinese and Japanese officers and soldiers had basketball and football matches and played tug-of-war in a sports field at the dock.

Before heading back to Japan, the destroyer had a drill with the Chinese navy in the sea area near Zhanjiang. It focused on communication and formation.

Tetsuya Hayashi, who works at the public affairs section of the maritime staff office in Japan's Ministry of Defense, said he was happy to visit China. "I found Chinese people very friendly, and the liquor tastes good."

A Japanese soldier, who identified himself by his surname Mafu, spoke fluent Chinese. He talked about how Buddhism was introduced from China to Japan at Tuesday's reception. "It is my first time in China. I hope to see more of Zhanjiang and talk to more ordinary Chinese people."

"I believe the Japanese Self-Defense Forces will have more opportunities to conduct exchanges with the Chinese navy," said Bonji Ohara, an official with the Japanese Ministry of Defense.

On Wednesday morning, Japanese unloaded disaster-relief goods including food, blankets, hygiene masks, disinfectant and other items they had brought for the quake area in southwest China.

"The visit is a sign of the friendly ties between the Chinese people and the Japanese people," said Lt. Gen. Su Shiliang. He expressed gratitude to Japan for providing aid and assistance after the May 12 earthquake and for relief materials shipped to the quake zone.

Japanese media gave low-key coverage to the warship's visit. The Kyodo News Agency quoted Japan's Defense Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, as saying he didn't think the visit would remove all the barriers in the Sino-Japanese relationship.

"A trustworthy relationship could not be set up in a day," he said.

And in crowded Internet chatrooms in China, the coming of the Japanese warship became a major topic of debate.

A netizen from Wuhan in central Hubei Province said at sina.com: "Japan did wrong to us before. But we can still learn from them now."

Another netizen, from the central Henan Province, called the visit a "historic breakthrough." He added: "We should develop our country without losing our nation's integrity."

"The Japanese warship visit to China brings with it aspirations for rebuilding trust and strengthening cooperation, but aspirations are not enough. What we expect is substantial progress and a mutually beneficial future for both peoples," said Che Hu, a senior editor of the Beijing-based magazine Military World.