JOURNALIST OF CWM

Party-to-Party Ties Can Enhance Basis for Japan-China State-to-State Relations: An exclusive interview with Kiyohiko Toyama, Member of Central Secretariat and Director of International Affairs Bureau, the Komeito of Japan

JOURNALIST OF CWM

Mr. Kiyohiko Toyama, Member of Central Secretariat and Director of International Affairs Bureau, the Komeito of Japan

Q: Mr. Kiyohiko Toyama, through your study tours to China and exchanges of views during your visits in the past few years, could you speak about your understanding and impressions of China’s economic and social development? If possible, would you also speak about economic cooperation between China and Japan in relation to your current visit?

A: For nearly ten years, I have been privileged with the opportunity to visit China every year. This time around, I am leading the delegation of Committee for Japan-China Next Generation Leaders Exchanges on its fourth visit to China. On each of the visits, besides Beijing, we would select another, provincial city for our itinerary. Through my visits to China in the past decade, I believe that China’s economic development is very impressive. This time, I have led the delegation to visit Qingdao, where we inspected the Jiaozhou Bay Sea-Crossing Bridge. By visiting Qingdao, we are still more impressed by China’s economic development.

It is my view that it will be a strong driving force for development of the world at large to further enhance Japan-China economic and trade relations and make even closer Japan-China-ROK economic and trade coopera-tion. In concrete terms of Japan-China economic cooperation, I wish to cite a few examples. During our visit to Qingdao this time, we visited an elderly care facility (Huang Dao District Elderly Welfare Center), which is a typical Japan-China cooperation project. The nursing home is smoothly operated and well run, deeply impressing all of us. In the future, Japan and China can further strengthen cooperation in new areas like elderly care industry. Besides, we also studied E-commerce in Qingdao, believing likewise Japan and China can conduct cooperation in the area of E-commerce.

Q: How would you comment on current Sino-Japanese relations? And against this backdrop, what do you think the Japanese side can do to improve the opinions of the general public?

A: In November 2014, Japan and China reached a four-point principle consensus. Since then, the momentum to improve Japan-China relations has been built. The Japan-China-ROK foreign ministerial meeting held in Japan on August 24, 2016 was one of the signs of the momentum for improving and developing Japan-China relations. Besides, improvement on Japan-China relations also reflects on the public opinion basis for such relations in both countries, among which a most illustrative one is the increasing number of Chinese visitors to Japan, a full-blown growth comparing to four years ago. Three years ago, the figure just reached 1.36 million. The next year, it hit 2.5 million. Last years, it even got to 4.99 million, approaching 5 million. In spite of the fact that Japanese Yen has appreciated further in exchange rate, the figure is expected to rise to 7 million by the year’s end. I consider it gratifying to see the Chinese take the step to go visit Japan and see things with their own eyes.

However, to the opposite, the number of Japanese visitors to China is less than desirable. In the past, when the figure was sizable, it was 5 million per year. But now the figure is only half of the level of the past, about 2.5 million. Here, I hope there will be more Japanese to visit China, to see for themselves the great changes taking place in the country by each passing day. As members of Committee for Japan-China Next Generation Leaders Exchanges, we would like to propagate more to the Japanese nationals upon our return, encouraging them to come to China for exchange of views. Besides, in regard to exchanges between the young people of both countries, the governments of Japan and China now fund programs inviting middle school students, high school students and university students to visit each other’s countries. Many of them, when eventually grow up and become talents, will make contributions to Japan-China relations. It is my opinion that exchanges in this regard should further expand in the future.

Q: As a leader of the Committee for Japan-China Next Generation Leaders Exchanges, you are engaged in promoting the development of Japan-China relations, stressing on building a Sino-Japanese relations facing the future. In your opinion, in building Sino-Japanese relations facing the future, where should both sides make efforts?

A: First of all, let me introduce to you basic conditions of the Committee for Japan-China Next Generation Leaders Exchanges. It is a cross-party organization in Japan, consisting of young members of the Diet from the Komeito, its coalition government partner the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Progressive Party in opposition. We have come to visit China, our neighbor separated only by a belt of water, in an endeavor to improve Japan-China relations from mid and long-term perspective. It is our belief that under all circumstances, no matter if Japan-China relations are good or bad, we should keep on visiting China. It is in this belief that we formed the grouping, the Committee for Japan-China Next Generation Leaders Exchanges four years ago. At present, there are no other groupings like it in the Japanese Diet. One of our basic believes is that we should face the history, face and overcome all difficulties in reality, and make joint efforts in building a beautiful future of Japan and China based on common interests.

Here, I would like to emphasize on taking history for the guide, which should not be merely paying lip service. For instance, I led the delegation of Committee for Japan-China Next Generation Leaders Exchanges, consisting of 11 Diet Members of various parties, in visiting Changchun and Haerbaling in China last year, which marked the seventieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. It was our first time to visit Haerbaling. The reason why the delegation chose to visit Haerbaling on the seventieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War was that we wanted to learn at this important historical moment what the Japanese military had done in China in the past. At that time, we considered it highly necessary to do so. To date, in China there are still a large number of chemical weapons left over by the Japanese military more than seventy years ago. And these were what we saw, heard and learnt on site. As such, I believe that in taking history for our guide, we should not merely pay lip service but take concrete actions.

Besides, I would like to stress that in improving and developing Japan-China relations, our point of departure should be the four political documents between the two countries and the 2014 consensus of four-point principle. At present, there are still a number of sensitive issues waiting for resolution between the two countries, which we wish to put under effective control and not to allow tension to escalate. At the same time, I would expect the media of both countries to try to reduce or restrain from reporting things that agitate national feelings of both countries and worsen the situation.

Q: You have mentioned just now that it is the fourth time that you lead the members of the Committee for Japan-China Next Generation Leaders Exchanges to visit China. In your opinion, through visits and exchanges in the past few years, what has been achieved in Sino-Japanese party-to-party ties? Could you give some examples?

A: In Japan, it depends on the results of elections to choose government parties. Therefore, government may change hands, and so also may government leaders on regular basis. The Komeito has a history of 52 years. And the history of the Liberal Democratic Party is a bit longer than that. As such, in my view, the party-to-party ties as part of Japan-China relations perform the function of sustainability and

continuity. China is ruled by the Communist Party of China, and thus the International Department of its Central Committee becomes the window of party-to-party ties. In my opinion, the party-to-party ties between Japan and China over the past years has laid a solid foundation for the long-term, steady development of bilateral relations. Here, I wish to give two examples.

The first example is that in 2013, I led a delegation of 7 young members of the Japanese Diet to visit Beijing and Tianjin. In Tianjin, we visited the Memorial Museum of Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao, through which we all very much admired Zhou Enlai’s charisma of personality, wideranged experience and knowledge and strong power of execution and action. Upon return to Japan, we as politicians reported to our respective support groups and ordinary voters in our respective constituencies the great deeds of Premier Zhou Enlai. Through our reporting, more Japanese nationals, particularly the young people have learned a Premier Zhou Enlai with tremendous achievements and at the same enhanced their understanding of the late premier.

Improvement on Japan-China relations also reflects on the public opinion basis for such relations in both countries, among which a most illustrative one is the increasing number of Chinese visitors to Japan, a full-blown growth comparing to four years ago. The picture shows the beautiful Mt. Fuji.

The second example is about Haerbaling. In 2015, the delegation visited and inspected the chemical weapons left over by the Japanese military in Haerbaling and the process of treating them. Then, employees of concerned Japanese enterprises and concerned leading members on the Chinese side in Haerbaling talked to us about possible shortfalls in the budge for handling chemical weapons. On our return, 11 Members of the Diet called for a meeting of concerned officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cabinet Office and expressed our hope to increase funding for the chemical weapon treatment facilities in Haerbaling. After that, through coordination and follow-up, we saw to it that the fund-increase action was in place. As such, I believe that the basis of Japan-China state-to-state relations can be strengthened through party-toparty ties.

Q: Last September, China held the G20 Summit in Hangzhou. How would you comment on the G20 Summit?

A: The Hangzhou Summit, I believe, is the most important G20 summit in recent years. The reason why I say so is because of the close link between the convocation of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou and the current international situation and the overall environment of the world. Hot-spot issues are piling up such as the Brexit, the refugees in Europe, the Crisis of Syria. The US is undergoing Presidential Election and nobody knows what will happen after a new president is elected. In Asia there are also quite a number of hot-spot and thorny issues like the nuclear test of the DPRK. On August 23, I had a meeting with State Councilor Yang Jiechi, where we reached following consensus, that as the world in general was under the situation of instability and uncertainty, it would be necessary for the whole region of Asia including Japan and China to make concerted efforts at the G20 summit. In today’s world, Asia has the most propelling power and traction, being a region full of vitality. It is our hope that the whole Asia including Japan and China can display to the rest of the world our aspirations and our determination to resolve pertinent issues. Besides, Japan and the US have signed the TPP. Initiated by China, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has come into being. These are all brave new attempts hitherto unseen. I think that it is a topic both Japan and China must carefully consider how to position themselves to the situation and how to better take advantage of new opportunities.

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