Murayama pledges peace with China<\/p>\n
BEIJING (Reuter): Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama
\nmarked the first day of a visit to China yesterday by touring the
\nsite of a 1937 clash that triggered all-out war. He called the
\n50th anniversary of the war's end a new starting point in ties.<\/p>\n
However, Murayama stopped short of apologizing for Japan's
\nbloody invasion of China in the 1930s and the 1940s war and his
\ntalks with Chinese Premier Li Peng revealed disagreements over
\nnuclear weapons testing, Taiwan and economic ties.<\/p>\n
Murayama, 71, became the first Japanese prime minister to
\nvisit the Marco Polo Bridge on the outskirts of Beijing where
\nJapan used an exchange of fire with Chinese troops in July, 1937,
\nas a pretext to launch a full invasion of China.<\/p>\n
\"On the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, I have been
\nable to visit a site representative of the grave damage inflicted
\nupon the Chinese people,\" Murayama said.<\/p>\n
\"Thinking of the past history, I renew my commitment to future
\npeace,\" he said at a war museum near the bridge.<\/p>\n
Japan was ready to treat the 50th anniversary as a new
\nstarting point, Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.<\/p>\n
Murayama arrived in Beijing late on Tuesday for a five-day
\nofficial visit.<\/p>\n
In talks with Li and Communist Party chief and state President
\nJiang Zemin, Murayama stressed that Japan wanted to learn from
\nits past mistakes to build peaceful ties with China.<\/p>\n
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Chen Jian praised
\nMurayama's visit to the war museum as of positive significance
\nbecause he showed a \"sensible attitude to history\".<\/p>\n
Li reminded Murayama that there were different voices in Japan
\non how to view its aggressive history, Chen said.<\/p>\n
\"This shows there are still militarist forces in Japan, so
\nefforts should be made to stop this tendency so the historical
\ntragedy will not happen again,\" he quoted Li as saying.<\/p>\n
Murayama made no explicit apology for the war because at home
\nhis fragile coalition government remains bitterly divided over
\nthe issue.<\/p>\n
In his meeting with Li, Murayama asked China to halt nuclear
\ntesting in line with the other declared nuclear powers, the
\nUnited States, Russia, Britain and France.<\/p>\n
Li declined to reply, said a Murayama aide who briefed
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
However, Li said China was moving to approve the Nuclear Non-
\nProliferation Treaty, which expires this year, the aide said. The
\nUnited Nations is currently debating renewal of the treaty.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/murayama-pledges-peace-with-china-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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