1989, Japan's 124th generation The Emperor Died., Japan invited many countries to attend the funeral, The China-Japanese relations have been normalized at this time, and China is naturally also invited.。
In the noise of the outside, China sends representativesIn the face of Japanese politicians, The Chinese representative responded domineering in 4 words。
What four words did the Chinese representative say? What was the Japanese reaction when it heard it?
The Emperor died.
On January 7, 1989, Showa Emperor Hirohito died. Less than two hours later, the Palace Agency Announcement to all Japan。
At this time, the Japanese political world has long been shaking hands and is preparing to do a huge battle for裕仁操. The farewell ceremony.。
Just on the night of Yoshin’s death, Japan’s Prime Minister,竹下登便, convened a cabinet meeting, and the funeral was scheduled for February 24.
Not only that, Japan has also sent invitations to 163 countries and 27 international organizations around the world, These include even Asian countries such as China, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and other countries that have been badly wounded in the war.。
As soon as the news came out, international public opinion was in an uproar, and the media in Britain, Australia and other countries questioned: To hold such a grand farewell ceremony for a war-time emperor, Does it mean acquiescence to its historical crimes?
Australian veteran groups are more openly opposed to the funeral of their country’s leaders, and even describe Yoshin as a “Hitler of the East,” demanding that his body be crushed.
In contrast, the atmosphere in Japan is unusually unified and elevated.
Thousands of citizens flocked to the outskirts of the royal palace to commemorate the incense, and the media chanted Gong Cheng, and actively depicted how Yuan Jin guided Japan toward democracy and prosperity after the war.
This collective silence and beautification has become an intolerable absurd drama in the eyes of Asian war victims.
For China, this is not just a "condolence", but also a diplomatic game. Should representatives be sent to attend, and who can speak on behalf of China?
In the more than 40 years after the war, The Japanese government has repeatedly attempted to diminish and even deny the history of aggression.。
But how can the trauma caused by war be erased by a single eulogy?
From the events of “9-18” to the events of “7-7”, from the Nanjing massacre to the 731 troops’ living experiments, tens of millions of people in Asia have lost their lives under the expansion ambitions of Yogya.
He is not only the symbol sitting on the throne, but also the person directly responsible for instigating, approving and condoning all this happening.
For this reason, despite repeated invitations from the Japanese side, China has not responded.
The White Ceremony.
On February 14, 1989, more than a month after Hirohito's death, the head of the Legislative Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Cabinet said in a relaxed but sharp tone when facing questions from members in the National Assembly: " From the perspective of international and domestic law, the Emperor is not responsible for war.”
On the same day, Prime Minister竹下登 even openly stated in Congress: Whether that war was aggression or not still needs to be left to future generations of historians to judge.”
These two sentences stirred up thousands of waves with one stone, Foreign Minister Qian Qichen looked calmThere is no dispute in the heart.
He knew that this visit was not just as simple as attending a funeral, but that behind it was a struggle for the right to interpret history, and that China was the victim of war. Opportunity to Reaffirm a Position of Justice to the World。
At the same time, The anger in Asian countries began to spread.South Korean public opinion fiercely criticized the decision of its president to attend the funeral, saying that "mourning the aggressors is a blasphemy against history".
Philippine social organizations have publicly petitioned for the government to resist the activities of "punishment for sinners"; Indonesia and Malaysia have also expressed dissatisfaction at the diplomatic level.
In these intense international waves, China remains "silent"But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' documents were sent out, and the wording became harsher.
on February 16, Japanese ambassador to China visits the Ministry of Foreign Affairs again。
At the time the reception was the deputy minister of foreign affairs, he made an expressionless, calm statement: " If the Japanese government continues to avoid war responsibility, it will not only hurt the Chinese people’s feelings, but will also seriously affect the future course of China-Japan relations.”
During that meeting, Chinese representatives made it clear for the first time that if Japan fails to clarify on historical issues, China may reassess diplomatic arrangements for attending the funeral。
These words seem to have triggered an earthquake in Japanese political circles, because they are not only the voice of China, but also imply a reality: If China is absent, other victims will follow.。
On February 21, Noboru Takeshita was forced to convene an emergency cabinet meeting, gathering key cabinet members at the Prime Minister's official residence late at night to discuss response strategies.
They finally realized that China’s silence was not a disgraceful response, but waiting for the Japanese government to proactively “correct” its mistakes.
And once the Chinese side decides to "absence", the chain of diplomatic consequences that it has caused, It’s far worse than apologizing.。
Diplomatic turnaround
One night later, the Japanese ambassador to China met with the Chinese side again to convey Takeshita Noboru's latest intention.
The first, Acknowledging that World War II was an act of aggression that caused great harm to Asian neighbors；
Second, reaffirm the awareness of war responsibility in the Joint Statement of China and Japan;
Third, it is emphasized that this funeral is not "reversing the case for history", but a necessary process of "national ceremony".
This note expressing a "revised posture" is a signal that the Japanese government is bowing and a preliminary victory for China's "diplomatic silence."
China immediately conducted a high-level assessment to judge its sincerity and subsequent operability.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a cautious statement: On the basis of maintaining an unshakable historical position, Attended by the then Foreign Minister Wang Zhen as the special envoy of the President of the country。
At the same time, China's position has received widespread support from the international community. The United Nations Secretariat rarely mentioned in a regular briefing that "war-victim countries have a moral say in such incidents."
Many countries in Southeast Asia have expressed their "recognition of China's persistence on historical issues" through official or unofficial channels.
Even the U.S. media has begun to reflect on the “moderate gesture” of Japan’s responsibility after the war, questioning whether it has “left a leader who should bear greater responsibility.”
The diplomatic trend has quietly reversed. On February 23, Money arrived in Tokyo., who is the "Special Envoy of the President of the People's Republic of China".
A quality
At 7 o'clock in the morning on February 24, 1989, the streets outside Shinjuku Gyoen were tightly sealed off, and police in uniform pulled up long cordons on both sides of the road.
On the streets of Tokyo, although half-hanging black and white flags are hung, behind those curtains, the real goal of the Japanese government is to create an unprecedented "Showa Farewell Ceremony".
Hirohito's coffin carriage departed from the Imperial Palace and slowly drove towards the main funeral venue in Shinjuku Gyoen. Along the way, it passed through the National Assembly Hall and the Prime Minister's official residence. There were many Japanese people standing solemnly in silence on both sides of the road.
The Japanese government dispatched 32,000 police officers, 2,500 self-defense officers, and deployed 24 helicopters, fully armed and on alert.
More than fifty heads of state were present, including princes, prime ministers, special envoys and others.
And in the corner of the meeting, dressed in a black middle mountain. The money.Walk calmly.
At 10:10 in the morning, the spirits arrived at Shinjuku, after the religious ceremony, Congratulations begins in order.。
Qian Qichen did not take the stage to speak, but handed over a eulogy signed by the President of China to the organizer for forwarding.
The eulogy was concise and expressed condolences, but there was a heavy historical tension between the lines.
There was no mention of "greatness" and "peace" in the eulogy, They used the words “war pain” and “peace expectation”., concise words and profound meaning.
That afternoon, Wang Zhen held a closed-door meeting with Japan's Foreign Minister,宇野宗佑, at the restaurant hall in Tokyo.。
The Japanese government first expressed its importance.” Apologies and regretsThe Prime Minister's statement in Congress failed to convey "true intentions" and stressed that Japan has long recognized its responsibility for war in the "Japan Joint Statement" and does not want to revive historical controversy.
The money slowly said: Facing history is the prerequisite for all cooperation。”
Then he emphasized it word by word in a slow and heavy tone: " History is not decorating the background of diplomacy, but measuring the scale of state attitude, and if we want to develop relations between China and Japan, we must draw clear boundaries on historical issues, which cannot be blurred, avoided, and diluted.”
In this speech, there was a long silence in the field. He didn't stop there, but pointed to the "forgetting tendency" existing in Japanese society at present.
He said: " We cannot accept portraying the culprits of war as symbols of peace.”
His words were not only told to Uno Sousuke, but also through this venue, Pass on to all Japanese people who still want to beautify history。
After the talks, Mr. Wang did not attend the prime minister's official reception that night, but chose to meet with Chinese embassy and representatives in Japan, and the next day the major Japanese newspapers the performance of the Chinese special envoy "not humble".
The passing of Rihanna is an end to the era, but it is also a historical responsibility. Re-confrontation。
China's "condolences" is to stand on the world stage and make a clear and firm voice to Japan, history and the future: Only by facing up to history can we move towards true peace。