Mr. Chairman,

    In his statement, the distinguished Japanese delegate said that history has no relevance with the work of the Commission, and his government's position on history is crystal clear.

    This year marks the 60th anniversary of victory over fascism. What happened 60 years ago has important implications for today. Japan is our neighbor. For more than 2000 years, China and Japan have had most friendly relations. But there is also a brief period of darkness. That is the Second World War, during which Japan invaded and caused unprecedented miseries to the Asia-Pacific countries. China was one of the biggest victims. Tens of millions Chinese people were brutally slaughtered, and over 300,000 people were massacred in the city of Nanjing alone. This is history which we remember and will never forget. We believe 9.11 is history, and Pearl Harbor is history. No one in the world shall forget history. Nothing like that should be repeated. We are convinced that historical lessons can serve as a guide for the future. History is like a shadow of the body. Forgetting history means betrayal. We do hope that Japan can face its wartime past squarely and look at its history rather than looking at other directions. We simply don't understand why our Japanese friends cannot do as our German friends have done. The greatness of a great nation lies in the fact that the nation has the gut and courage to face squarely its history and look forward to the future.

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.