The mayor of Nagoya admitted that the Japanese army committed the Nanjing Massacre

Regarding Sino-Japanese relations, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly pointed out that correctly recognizing and dealing with history is always a moral question and an era question that Japan must face and answer. It hopes that Japan will deeply learn from historical lessons and adhere to the path of peaceful development.

According to Japanese media reports, on August 4, Nagoya Mayor Hiroshi Hironaga stated that he hopes to resume exchanges with the sister city of Nanjing. Previously, on February 20, 2012, then-mayor of Nagoya, Toru Kawamura, claimed that "the Nanjing Massacre did not exist." On the following day, February 21, the Nanjing Municipal Government announced that due to Kawamura's denial of the historical facts of the Nanjing Massacre, which seriously hurt the feelings of the people of Nanjing, it suspended official exchanges with the Nagoya Municipal Government.

Nagoya City in Japan was one of the birthplaces of the "ping-pong diplomacy" between China and Japan. In 1978, the Nanjing Municipal Government, under the witness of Zhao Puchu, Vice Chairman of the China-Japan Friendship Association at that time, established a sister city relationship with Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

At a press conference on the 4th of this month, Hironaga said, "As a sister city, it is very important to continue exchanges and jointly accumulate history. The interruption of official exchanges is regrettable. We will work with sincerity to promote the resumption of exchanges."

In 2018 and 2019, a cross-party parliamentary alliance of the Nagoya City Council visited Nanjing twice in an effort to improve relations. On the 26th of this month, they will again send a delegation to Nanjing and will also deliver a handwritten letter from Hironaga.

When asked about his views on the Nanjing Massacre, Hironaga said that he maintains the same position as the Japanese government, that "after the Japanese army entered Nanjing, there were indeed acts of killing non-combatants, which is an undeniable fact."

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839533202166983/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.